A patient comes to see you complaining of a spider bite. He shows you a sore on his wrist—the area around it is red and swollen, and the lesion is leaking pus. The patient tells you he found a spider in his car, which is why he thinks this is a bite. He also tells you that he has been taking penicillin tablets that his wife had left over after being prescribed the drug a few months previously for pneumonia. Even though he has taken the tablets for four days, the lesion is not healing and that he is really feeling terrible, with pain, fever, and chills. You suspect that your patient has a wound infection, so you sample the pus and send it to the lab for analysis.
-Your patient asks why the penicillin he has been taking hasn't helped his infection. Which of the following is a possible explanation for your patient?
A) The patient has become resistant to penicillin and he needs to take a different medication.
B) The bacteria causing the infection are resistant to penicillin; a different antibiotic is needed.
C) Bacteria are never killed by a single type of antibiotic; combinations of drugs are needed.
D) Penicillin has been overused by people and it no longer works against any bacteria; it can be used against viruses.
E) The patient's body is neutralizing the antibiotic; he needs to take a probiotic to help the penicillin work.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The bacteria causing the infection are most likely resistant to penicillin, which is why the medication has not been effective in treating the wound infection. It is important to perform a culture and sensitivity test to determine the appropriate antibiotic(s) to use for effective treatment.

A Patient Comes to See You Complaining of a Spider