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What is the primary reason antimicrobial therapy is effective against infections?
What is the main reason why empiric therapy is used in some patients?
What is the primary purpose of the Gram stain?
What is the primary reason why bacterial identification and susceptibility testing are necessary?
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What is the term for the ability of antimicrobial drugs to injure or kill microorganisms without harming human cells?
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What is the main goal of antimicrobial therapy?
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What is the purpose of culturing the infective organism?
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Why is it not advisable to administer antibiotics to a patient with a cough for 2 weeks?
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What is the purpose of culturing a pathogen in determining antimicrobial susceptibility?
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What is the zone of inhibition in antimicrobial susceptibility testing?
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Why is it essential to consider the site of infection when selecting an antibiotic?
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What is a natural barrier to drug delivery in certain tissues?
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What patient factor must be considered when selecting an antibiotic?
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Why is it important to consider the patient's kidney function when selecting an antibiotic?
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What special consideration must be taken into account when treating pregnant or breastfeeding women with antibiotics?
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What is the key biochemical difference between microorganisms and human cells that antimicrobial therapy exploits?
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What is the primary factor that determines the selective toxicity of antimicrobial drugs?
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What is the primary purpose of Gram staining in identifying the infecting organism?
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Why is it necessary to culture the infective organism in addition to Gram staining?
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What is the primary reason for carefully controlling the concentration of antimicrobial drugs?
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Why is empiric therapy sometimes necessary?
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Why is immediate empiric therapy indicated in critically ill patients with infection of unknown origin?
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What is the purpose of determining antimicrobial susceptibility of an infective organism?
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Which patient factor must be considered when selecting an antibiotic?
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Why are capillaries with varying degrees of permeability important to consider in antibiotic therapy?
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What is the significance of the zone of inhibition in antimicrobial susceptibility testing?
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What is a factor to consider when treating pregnant or breastfeeding women with antibiotics?
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Why is it important to culture the sputum in order to come up with a conclusive diagnosis?
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What is the key difference between bacterial cells and animal cells?
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In which situations is empiric therapy used?
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What is the purpose of culturing the infective organism?
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Why is it necessary to carefully control the concentration of antimicrobial drugs?
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What is the term for the ability of antimicrobial drugs to injure or kill microorganisms without harming human cells?
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What is the purpose of Gram staining?
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Why is it essential to consider patient factors when selecting an antimicrobial agent?
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What is the primary purpose of antimicrobial therapy?
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What is the main reason for determining antimicrobial susceptibility of an infective organism?
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What is the significance of the site of infection in selecting an antibiotic?
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Why is patient's age a factor to consider when selecting an antibiotic?
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What is the role of capillaries in antibiotic therapy?
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Why is immediate empiric therapy indicated in critically ill patients?
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What is the purpose of culturing the sputum?
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Why is the status of the patient's immune system a factor to consider when selecting an antibiotic?
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What is the significance of the liver in antibiotic therapy?
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Study Notes
Antimicrobial Therapy
- Antimicrobial therapy takes advantage of biochemical differences between microorganisms and human beings, such as bacterial cells having cell walls and animal cells having only cell membranes, and differences in size of ribosomal subunits.
- Antimicrobial drugs are effective due to selective toxicity, which allows them to injure or kill microorganisms without harming host cells, but requires careful control of drug concentration to avoid toxicity or poisoning.
Selection of Antimicrobial Agent
- Selection of the most appropriate antimicrobial agent requires knowledge of:
- Organism's identity
- Organism's susceptibility to a particular agent
- Site of infection
- Patient factors (e.g. immune system, kidneys, liver, circulation, age, pregnancy or breast-feeding)
- Safety of the agent
- Cost of therapy
Identification of the Infecting Organism
- Characterizing the organism is central to selection of the proper drug.
- Rapid assessment of the nature of the pathogen can be made using the Gram stain, which identifies the presence and morphologic features of microorganisms in body fluids that are normally sterile (e.g. blood, serum, CSF, pleural fluid, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, urine).
- Culturing the infective organism is generally necessary to arrive at a conclusive diagnosis and determine susceptibility to antimicrobial agents.
Determining Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Infective Organisms
- Ideally, antimicrobial agents are selected after the organism has been identified and its drug susceptibility established.
- Immediate empiric therapy is indicated in critically ill patients with unknown origin of infection.
- Antimicrobial susceptibility tests determine which specific antibiotics a particular bacteria or fungus is sensitive to.
- Zone of inhibition is the area where bacteria have been inhibited.
Effect of the Site of Infection on the Body
- Adequate levels of an antibiotic must reach the site of infection for effective eradication of microorganisms.
- Capillaries with varying degrees of permeability carry drugs to the body tissues.
- Natural barriers to drug delivery are created by the structures of the capillaries of some tissues (e.g. prostate, testes, placenta, vitreous body of the eye, CNS).
Patient Factors
- Patient factors to consider when selecting an antibiotic include:
- Status of the patient's immune system
- Kidneys (major organ of elimination)
- Liver (site of drug metabolism)
- Circulation (blood carries the drug in the plasma)
- Age (certain antibiotics should not be given to infants)
- Pregnancy or breast-feeding (in women)
Antimicrobial Therapy
- Antimicrobial therapy takes advantage of biochemical differences between microorganisms and human beings, such as bacterial cells having cell walls and animal cells having only cell membranes, and differences in size of ribosomal subunits.
- Antimicrobial drugs are effective due to selective toxicity, which allows them to injure or kill microorganisms without harming host cells, but requires careful control of drug concentration to avoid toxicity or poisoning.
Selection of Antimicrobial Agent
- Selection of the most appropriate antimicrobial agent requires knowledge of:
- Organism's identity
- Organism's susceptibility to a particular agent
- Site of infection
- Patient factors (e.g. immune system, kidneys, liver, circulation, age, pregnancy or breast-feeding)
- Safety of the agent
- Cost of therapy
Identification of the Infecting Organism
- Characterizing the organism is central to selection of the proper drug.
- Rapid assessment of the nature of the pathogen can be made using the Gram stain, which identifies the presence and morphologic features of microorganisms in body fluids that are normally sterile (e.g. blood, serum, CSF, pleural fluid, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, urine).
- Culturing the infective organism is generally necessary to arrive at a conclusive diagnosis and determine susceptibility to antimicrobial agents.
Determining Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Infective Organisms
- Ideally, antimicrobial agents are selected after the organism has been identified and its drug susceptibility established.
- Immediate empiric therapy is indicated in critically ill patients with unknown origin of infection.
- Antimicrobial susceptibility tests determine which specific antibiotics a particular bacteria or fungus is sensitive to.
- Zone of inhibition is the area where bacteria have been inhibited.
Effect of the Site of Infection on the Body
- Adequate levels of an antibiotic must reach the site of infection for effective eradication of microorganisms.
- Capillaries with varying degrees of permeability carry drugs to the body tissues.
- Natural barriers to drug delivery are created by the structures of the capillaries of some tissues (e.g. prostate, testes, placenta, vitreous body of the eye, CNS).
Patient Factors
- Patient factors to consider when selecting an antibiotic include:
- Status of the patient's immune system
- Kidneys (major organ of elimination)
- Liver (site of drug metabolism)
- Circulation (blood carries the drug in the plasma)
- Age (certain antibiotics should not be given to infants)
- Pregnancy or breast-feeding (in women)
Antimicrobial Therapy
- Antimicrobial therapy takes advantage of biochemical differences between microorganisms and human beings, such as bacterial cells having cell walls and animal cells having only cell membranes, and differences in size of ribosomal subunits.
- Antimicrobial drugs are effective due to selective toxicity, which allows them to injure or kill microorganisms without harming host cells, but requires careful control of drug concentration to avoid toxicity or poisoning.
Selection of Antimicrobial Agent
- Selection of the most appropriate antimicrobial agent requires knowledge of:
- Organism's identity
- Organism's susceptibility to a particular agent
- Site of infection
- Patient factors (e.g. immune system, kidneys, liver, circulation, age, pregnancy or breast-feeding)
- Safety of the agent
- Cost of therapy
Identification of the Infecting Organism
- Characterizing the organism is central to selection of the proper drug.
- Rapid assessment of the nature of the pathogen can be made using the Gram stain, which identifies the presence and morphologic features of microorganisms in body fluids that are normally sterile (e.g. blood, serum, CSF, pleural fluid, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, urine).
- Culturing the infective organism is generally necessary to arrive at a conclusive diagnosis and determine susceptibility to antimicrobial agents.
Determining Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Infective Organisms
- Ideally, antimicrobial agents are selected after the organism has been identified and its drug susceptibility established.
- Immediate empiric therapy is indicated in critically ill patients with unknown origin of infection.
- Antimicrobial susceptibility tests determine which specific antibiotics a particular bacteria or fungus is sensitive to.
- Zone of inhibition is the area where bacteria have been inhibited.
Effect of the Site of Infection on the Body
- Adequate levels of an antibiotic must reach the site of infection for effective eradication of microorganisms.
- Capillaries with varying degrees of permeability carry drugs to the body tissues.
- Natural barriers to drug delivery are created by the structures of the capillaries of some tissues (e.g. prostate, testes, placenta, vitreous body of the eye, CNS).
Patient Factors
- Patient factors to consider when selecting an antibiotic include:
- Status of the patient's immune system
- Kidneys (major organ of elimination)
- Liver (site of drug metabolism)
- Circulation (blood carries the drug in the plasma)
- Age (certain antibiotics should not be given to infants)
- Pregnancy or breast-feeding (in women)
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Description
This quiz covers the basics of antimicrobial therapy, including how it exploits biochemical differences between microorganisms and human beings to effectively treat infections.
