![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Koplik_spots%252C_measles_6111_lores.jpg/640px-Koplik_spots%252C_measles_6111_lores.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Koplik's spots
Rash that is an early sign of measles / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Koplik's spots?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Koplik's spots (also Koplik's sign) are a prodromic viral enanthem of measles manifesting two to three days before the measles rash itself. They are characterized as clustered, white lesions on the buccal mucosa (opposite the upper 1st & 2nd molars) and are pathognomonic for measles.[2] The textbook description of Koplik spots is ulcerated mucosal lesions marked by necrosis, neutrophilic exudate, and neovascularization.[3] They are described as appearing like "grains of salt on a reddish background",[1] and often fade as the maculopapular rash develops. As well as their diagnostic significance they are important in the control of outbreaks. Their appearance, in context of a diagnosed case, before they reach maximum infectivity, permits isolation of the contacts and greatly aids control of this highly infectious disease.[4]
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Koplik_spots%2C_measles_6111_lores.jpg/320px-Koplik_spots%2C_measles_6111_lores.jpg)
Nobel laureate John F. Enders and Thomas Peebles, who first isolated the measles virus, were careful to collect their samples from patients showing Koplik's spots.[5]