The client who was exposed to inhalation anthrax has completed 10 days of drug therapy consisting of ciprofloxacin (Cipro), 500 mg PO twice daily. He says that since he has no ma-nifestations, he would like to stop taking the drug now

Question

What is the nurse's best response? A. "If you have no manifestations, you may stop the drug now."
B. "You will need to take this drug for at least one month to be sure you don't spread the disease to others."
C. "You need to take this drug for at least 60 days because the organism is first en-capsulated, and it may take up to 8 weeks for manifestations to appear."
D. "You will need to be on prophylactic antibiotic therapy for the rest of your life to keep the organism from breaking free from its capsule and multiplying."

Answer 1

C
This organism first forms a spore, an encapsulated organism that is inactive. At this stage, even when in the body, antibiotics are not effective in penetrating the spore. When many spores are inhaled into the deep parts of the lungs, macrophages engulf them. Once inside the macrophage, the organism leaves its capsule and replicates. The process of leaving the capsule and replicating can be slow and it is at this point that drug therapy is most effective. The active bacteria produce several toxins that they release into the infected tissues and the blood.