A 48-year-old man with hypertension and coronary artery disease presents with protracted fever, fatigue, anorexia, weight loss, night sweats, and non-specific, non-radiating joint pains. These symptoms began insidiously following a routine dental cleaning, but they have progressed over the past 4 weeks.
He denies any chills, myalgias, sore throat, palpitations, shortness of breath, pleurisy, cough, wheezing, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, peripheral edema, trauma, travel, insect bites, or sexual contact within the past year.
His physical exam is remarkable for a fever of 101.3°F. His fundoscopic examination is notable for cytoid bodies and hemorrhages, while his oral mucosa displays conjunctival petechiae. There is a palpable purpuric skin rash of the lower extremities, reduced bilateral radial and ulnar pulsations, linear hemorrhages under the nails not reaching the nail margin, as well as tender, erythematous nodules occurring in the of the fingers. His cardiac exam demonstrates a soft, medium-pitched holosystolic murmur located at the apex with radiation to the axilla, while his foot exam reveals the findings in the attached image.
A comparison to the patient's last physical exam reveals no abnormal physical exam findings.
What pharmacotherapeutic agent is most appropriate for this patient?
1 Penicillin G
2 Rifampin
3 Linezolid
4 Doxycycline
5 Ampicillin