1. After a month of antibiotic treatment, a patient starts developing a gastroin
ID: 207836 • Letter: 1
Question
1. After a month of antibiotic treatment, a patient starts developing a gastrointestinal disorder shown by frequent diarrhea. Which is the most likely cause of such symptoms?2. Explain one mechanism of resistance to antibiotics that can be developed by bacteria. 1. After a month of antibiotic treatment, a patient starts developing a gastrointestinal disorder shown by frequent diarrhea. Which is the most likely cause of such symptoms?
2. Explain one mechanism of resistance to antibiotics that can be developed by bacteria.
2. Explain one mechanism of resistance to antibiotics that can be developed by bacteria.
Explanation / Answer
1. The course of antibiotics taken by a patient kills the "gut-friendly" bacteria along with the other pathogens. There are at least 1000 different gut-friendly bacteria living in harmony with one another in our digestive system.Though some of these friendly bacterias start replicating after few days of antibiotic treatment, their niche gets affected.These bacteria synthesize certain vitamins and nutrients that are important for our body and immune system. When these are compromised, inflammation is developed and this inflammation attracts organisms such as Salmonella and Clostridium difficile. These organisms releases toxins that can cause inflammation of the protective lining of the digestive system, a condition known as colitis.
2. Antibiotic resistance conferred by the bacteria can be explained by the biochemical aspects such as antibiotic inactivation, target modification, target bypass and permeability changes and genetics of the resistance include mutations and horizontal gene transfer.
Antibiotic inactivation:
This is achieved by the bacteria by producing enzymes that degrade or modify the drug by hydrolysis, group transfer and redox mechanisms.
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