A nurse is caring for an adolescent who is diagnosed with mononucleosis, commonly called the kissing disease. The nurse explains that the organisms causing this disease were transmitted by:

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Mononucleosis is typically spread through saliva, often via kissing, which is a form of direct contact.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of osteomyelitis across all age groups due to its ability to infect bone via hematogenous spread, direct inoculation, or contiguous spread. This is well-documented in medical literature.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Chloroquine is not the drug of choice for falciparum malaria due to widespread resistance; artemisinin-based therapies are preferred.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Staphylococcus aureus produces a preformed enterotoxin in food, causing rapid-onset food poisoning, unlike the others which produce toxins in vivo.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Erysipelas, caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, responds to erythromycin or penicillin.