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You Consult the Medical Diagnosis Book
In the Antimicrobial Therapy
section, you learn the steps that physicians go through when prescribing
antibiotics.
Whenever possible, they culture the suspected pathogen
and test the proposed antibiotic on the culture before administering
it to the patient. However, they're also aware that to stop some serious
cases, it's best not to wait for test results.
When the pathogen is not fully known, the physician must
make a "best guess" based on what IS known about the infectious
organism. If it is a Gram-positive coccus, for example, it can usually
be treated successfully with penicillin, because penicillin
is generally known to be effective against that type of bacterium.
Physicians generally prefer bacteriocidal antibiotics,
because they
actively kill the infectious bacteria. This is especially true in advanced
cases. Bacteriostatic antibiotics suppress bacterial growth, which gives
the patient's natural defenses time to kill off
the infection.
Next, a section on "Food Poisoning" catches
your eye.
Continue reading the book
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