A 50-Year-Old Woman Visits Her Doctor with Complaints of Bruises

A 50-year-old woman visits her doctor with complaints of bruises that will not heal. Her doctor has had her on long-term antibiotic treatment to control some chronic infections. Which of the following explains how her antibiotic treatment is related to her bruising?

A) The antibiotics have destroyed the ʺgoodʺ bacteria in her large intestine that produce vitamin K, which is important for proper blood clotting.
B) The antibiotics have traveled to her liver and are now preventing the liver from producing proteins that circulate in the blood and help with clotting.
C) She is malnourished because the antibiotics have destroyed the ʺgoodʺ bacteria in her digestive system that are responsible for producing the digestive enzymes that she needs to break down her food.
D) The antibiotics weaken the cells lining her capillaries, causing them to leak blood into the surrounding tissues.