A Patient Has a Staphylococcal Infection of the Blood; a Septicemia

question 3

Multiple Choice

A patient has a staphylococcal infection of the blood; a septicemia - very serious and possibly deadly. As the doctor, you would like to prescribe a relatively non-toxic and inexpensive drug out of the cephalosporin family. However, if the patient harbors a strain of Staphylococcus that is resistant
To a variety of antibiotics, you would prefer to use vancomycin-- which is highly effective against staphylococcus. Which of the following explains why the cephalosporin drug is preferred for use over the vancomycin?

• A) You would rather give an inexpensive drug to save the family money.
• B) You really do not know that much about vancomycin, so you would rather go with a drug that you can ?nd out more about.
• C) Vancomycin is very toxic, and the Staphylococcus strain could become resistant leaving no back-up drugs with which to treat the infection.
• D) Vancomycin is one of the most selectively toxic drugs there is, so you would prefer one that has a more broad-spectrum effect.

---

Definitions:

"Loss"

The result of expenses exceeding revenues or costs outweighing benefits in a financial transaction or operation.

Reference Point

A baseline value or condition used for comparison in various contexts, including economics, decision making, and psychology.

Item Value

The worth or utility that a specific item or product holds for an individual or the market.

Ownership

The state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property, which can be an object, land/real estate, or intellectual property.