Medical Dictionary

Koplik's spots

noun pl Kop·lik's spots \ˈkäp-liks-\

Medical Definition of KOPLIK'S SPOTS

:  small bluish white dots surrounded by a reddish zone that appear on the mucous membrane of the cheeks and lips before the appearance of the skin eruption in a case of measles

Biographical Note for KOPLIK'S SPOTS

Koplik, Henry (1858–1927), American pediatrician. Koplik was a specialist in the diseases of infancy and childhood. He discovered the bacterium (Bordetella pertussis) that causes whooping cough, and he established the first milk distribution center for poor infants in the United States He was the first to note Koplik's spots and published his description of them in 1896.

Variants of KOPLIK'S SPOTS

Kop·lik's spots or Kop·lik spots \-lik-\

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