A 65-Year-Old Man Is Brought to the Emergency Department Due

A 65-year-old man is brought to the emergency department due to high fevers and confusion.  His family says that for the past couple of days, he has been acting strangely and has been disoriented.  He has also had severe headaches.  This morning he was difficult to arouse and reportedly had a seizure on the way to the hospital.  His temperature is 39.4 C (103 F) , blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg, and pulse is 112/min.  The patient is obtunded with preserved brainstem reflexes and reduced motor responses to pain.  CT scan of the head without contrast is negative.  Cerebrospinal fluid analysis reveals an elevated opening pressure with a hemorrhagic lymphocytic pleocytosis, increased protein, and normal glucose.  An MRI of the brain reveals an abnormal signal in the bilateral temporal lobes.  A drug that inhibits which of the following would be most effective in treating this patient's condition?

A) Bacterial cell wall synthesis
B) Bacterial folic acid metabolism
C) Bacterial nucleic acid synthesis
D) Bacterial ribosomes
E) Viral DNA polymerase
F) Viral protease
G) Viral reverse transcriptase
H) Viral RNase H

Correct Answer:

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