Why Is It Not Surprising That Staphylococci Are the Leading

question 42

Multiple Choice

Why is it not surprising that Staphylococci are the leading cause of wound infections?

• A) This genus is readily present as a part of the normal flora on most people's skin, so it could easily enter wounds.
• B) Members of this genus are all particularly virulent and highly capable of causing numerous infections.
• C) Staphylococci cannot be eradicated from the skin due to multidrug resistance in most members of the genus. Drugs simply don't kill them.
• D) Staphylococci are capable of a higher degree of spontaneous mutation than most microbes. This makes them able to acquire antibiotic resistance very readily, making them hard to eliminate by pre-surgical antibacterial scrubs. As such, they commonly infect surgical wound sites.

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Definitions:

Groundwater

Moisture trapped below the ground in the soil or within fissures and cavities of rocks.

Cross Section

A diagram or slice that shows the internal structure of a particular object or area, made by cutting or visualizing a cut through the object.

Spring

A natural source of water emerging from the ground, often fed by an underground aquifer.

Perched Lake

A body of water situated above the normal water table, created by local, impermeable layers of rock or sediment.