Chapter 20, Problem 1SA

Summary Introduction

To determine:

The reason why an antimicrobial drug was not prescribed to the patient undergoing the fluid replacement treatment for diarrhea, even though the tests showed that the cause of distress was a pathogenic enteric bacterium

Introduction:

Enteric bacteria are usually found in the intestine of most animals, and in almost every organic matter. They are pathogenic in humans as they have lipooligosaccharides in their cell wall, which helps them to cause infections like diarrhea. Treatment of such diarrhea is done by replacing fluid and electrolyte. Treatment does not normally involve antimicrobial drugs because letting out bacteria from the body through excreta is more is more effective than inducing antimicrobials as diarrhea can gradually heal on its own.