You Explain General Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance to Your Patient's

question 24

Multiple Choice

You explain general mechanisms of antibiotic resistance to your patient's family. Which of the following mechanisms is not one used by S. aureus?

• A) Some bacteria produce enzymes that chemically modify a specific medication, interfering with its function. An example is the β-lactamases that inactivate different β-lactam antibiotics.
• B) Some bacteria use efflux pumps to transport antimicrobials and other damaging compounds out of the cell. Sometimes the pumps are structurally altered, conferring resistance to several different antimicrobials simultaneously. 
• C) Some bacteria are able to make minor structural changes in the cellular target of a drug. This can prevent the medication from binding to that target, thereby protecting the organism from its effects.
• D) Some bacteria can make changes in porin proteins of the outer membrane and can therefore prevent certain antimicrobials from entering the cell's cytoplasm. By stopping entry of an antimicrobial, an organism avoids its effects.
• E) Resistance in S. aureus may involve any of these mechanisms.

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Definitions:

Proportional

Corresponding in size or amount to something else; having a constant relation in degree or number.

Bimodal

Characterized by or having two distinct modes or peaks in a distribution or set of data.

Taxable Income

The amount of an individual's or a corporation's income that is subject to taxation by government authorities.

Progressive

Refers to a type of tax system in which tax rates increase as the taxable amount increases.