Clostridium difficile is a bacterium often found in the gastrointestinal tract of healthy individuals. It is also a common cause of hospital-acquired infections, when individuals may become infected with resistant strains of Clostridium difficile. Most individuals who become ill with C. difficile do so following antibiotic treatment. Based on this observation, which result would you expect when examining the gut biota after an individual has taken an antibiotic?
Added by Ethan C.
Close
Step 1
Step 1: Antibiotics kill bacteria. Show more…
Show all steps
Your feedback will help us improve your experience
Adi S and 82 other Biology educators are ready to help you.
Ask a new question
Labs
Want to see this concept in action?
Explore this concept interactively to see how it behaves as you change inputs.
Key Concepts
Recommended Videos
Clostridium difficile is a part of the normal intestinal microbiota. When multiple antibiotics are used to treat infections, C. difficile can overgrow and cause mild to life-threatening symptoms. So C. difficile is considered an opportunistic pathogen.
Adi S.
Clostridium difficile infection is the leading cause of hospital-associated gastrointestinal illness. It is typically treated with a course of antibiotics, but the infection recurs in about $20 \%$ of cases. $C .$ difficile infections are difficult to eradicate because the bacteria exist in two forms: a replicating, toxin-producing form and a spore form that is resistant to antibiotics. Fecal microbiota transplantation-the transfer of normal gut microbiota from a healthy individual-can resolve $>90 \%$ of recurrent infections, a much better cure rate than further antibiotic treatment alone. Why do you suppose microbiota transplantation is so effective?
Metronidazole is immediately initiated. What does the drug indicate about C. difficile? A. It is a resistant bacterium B. It is a gram-positive bacterium C. It is an anaerobic bacterium D. It does not have a cell wall of peptidoglycan E. It is an aerobic bacterium A few days later, the nurses alert you that Walter has had several loose stools a day, indicating diarrhea. One of the common adverse effects of clindamycin is Clostridium difficile colitis. This is often seen when the normal microbiota has been disrupted. Which component of the immune response has been altered? A. Humoral immunity B. First line of defense C. Cell-mediated immunity D. Third line of defense E. Second line of defense Clindamycin has an adverse effect of agranulocytosis, which is the massive loss of granulocytes in the bloodstream. Which of the following cells would most likely be reduced as a response to clindamycin toxicity? A. Macrophages B. Neutrophils C. B lymphocytes D. T lymphocytes E. Dendritic cells
Marlyn J.
Recommended Textbooks
Biology for AP Courses
Objective Biology for NEET
Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry
Transcript
18,000,000+
Students on Numerade
Trusted by students at 8,000+ universities
Watch the video solution with this free unlock.
EMAIL
PASSWORD