A 32-year-old woman with community-acquired pneumonia presenting with fever (38.9°C), cough, and dyspnea is prescribed azithromycin. On day 4 of therapy, she develops severe cramping abdominal pain, watery diarrhea, and fever (39.2°C). Stool testing confirms Clostridioides difficile toxin B positivity. Laboratory studies show WBC 14,500/μL. She denies recent hospitalization or prior antibiotic use. Which mechanism best explains how azithromycin increased her risk for this infection?
- A)Disruption of normal colonic microbiota, allowing pathogenic overgrowthGABARITO
- B)Direct cytotoxic effect on intestinal epithelial cells
- C)Inhibition of peristalsis leading to bacterial stasis
- D)Increased gastric pH promoting bacterial colonization
- E)Allergic reaction to macrolide metabolites in the colon
Explicação
Azithromycin, like all macrolide antibiotics, disrupts the normal intestinal microbiota by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis. This allows Clostridioides difficile, which produces toxins A and B, to proliferate unchecked, causing antibiotic-associated diar... Ver explicação completa e trilha adaptativa →