Please read the clinical scenario, and then answer the question that follow to become familiar with the traditional NCLEX question format.
A 76-year-old male visits his primary care physician with complaints of burning with urination and a frequent urge to void. As the RN, you aid the patient in collecting a urine specimen to be sent for analysis. While awaiting the final results of drug susceptibility testing in the lab, the patient is prescribed oral sulfasoxazole.
-In the lab,the urine specimen is spread on an agar plate with antibiotic discs placed to determine antimicrobial susceptibility.Following incubation,the clear area around each disc is measured.What term describes the observed area of antimicrobial action around each disc?

Question

Please read the clinical scenario, and then answer the question that follow to become familiar with the traditional NCLEX question format.
  A 76-year-old male visits his primary care physician with complaints of burning with urination and a frequent urge to void. As the RN, you aid the patient in collecting a urine specimen to be sent for analysis. While awaiting the final results of drug susceptibility testing in the lab, the patient is prescribed oral sulfasoxazole.
-In the lab,the urine specimen is spread on an agar plate with antibiotic discs placed to determine antimicrobial susceptibility.Following incubation,the clear area around each disc is measured.What term describes the observed area of antimicrobial action around each disc?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The observed area of antimicrobial action around each disc is called the zone of inhibition. This is the area where the antibiotic has prevented bacteria from growing, and it is used to determine the susceptibility of the bacteria to the antibiotic. The term "zone of susceptibility" is not commonly used in this context. The term "zone of resistance" refers to the area where bacteria are able to grow despite the presence of the antibiotic. An antibiogram is a graphical representation of the susceptibility of bacteria to various antibiotics.

Please Read the Clinical Scenario, and Then Answer the Question