Two People Are Brought to the Emergency Department Where You

Two people are brought to the Emergency Department where you work. The first patient reports fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. The second patient appears extremely ill. Her family tells you that she also had gastrointestinal signs and symptoms a few days ago. She has now developed severe skin blistering, has a very high fever and is only semi-conscious. When you question the first patient and the family of the second patient, you discover that they know each other and that they have all recently returned from a beach vacation in a major city on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The group tells you that the enjoyed a raw oyster dinner on the last day of their summer vacation. They think that both patients are probably just allergic to seafood, but given the severity of the signs and symptoms of your patients, you suspect that they may have Vibrio vulnificus infection. Lab tests confirm your suspicion. You give the families information on this disease.
-Patients with V. vulnificus infection are given a combination of synergistic antibiotics. This means that

A) each antibiotic works independently, but does not inhibit the action of the other antibiotic(s) in the combination.
B) the action of one antibiotic diminishes the effect of the other(s) in the combination.
C) the antibiotics work together to produce a stronger effect than each antibiotic on its own.
D) one antibiotic in the combination is always broad spectrum while the other(s) is/are always narrow spectrum.
E) the antibiotics given in combination are always broad spectrum medications.