A patient develops a superinfection due to fluoroquinolone therapy. The patient asks the nurse why this happened. Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate?
A) "Your infection was really severe, so the drug wasn't as effective as it could have been."
B) "This happens when your original infection begins to clear."
C) "The drug disrupts your normal bacteria so it allows other organisms to grow."
D) "We really don't know why this happens; it just does sometimes."
Ans: C
Feedback:
Antibiotics can disrupt the normal flora (nonpathogenic bacteria in the bowel), causing a secondary infection or superinfection. This new infection is "superimposed" on the original infection. The destruction of large numbers of nonpathogenic bacteria (normal flora) by the antibiotic alters the chemical environment. This allows uncontrolled growth of bacteria or fungal microorganisms that are not affected by the antibiotic being administered. It has nothing to do with the drug's effectiveness or the original infection being cleared.
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