A male patient returned last weekend from a vacation in Kenya where he went on safari with his wife. He presents with fever, chills, headache, nausea, and weakness. On examination he is found to have an enlarged lymph node in his groin, which is tender. A sample of blood taken from the patient shows a capsulated, bipolar-staining, gram-negative rod present in the bloodstream.

Question

A male patient returned last weekend from a vacation in Kenya where he went on safari with his wife. He presents with fever, chills, headache, nausea, and weakness. On examination he is found to have an enlarged lymph node in his groin, which is tender. A sample of blood taken from the patient shows a capsulated, bipolar-staining, gram-negative rod present in the bloodstream.

A. Which antibiotic should be started immediately?
B. How does this antibiotic interact with bacterial cells.

Answer 1

A. The antibiotic that should be started immediately in this patient is ceftriaxone.

B. Ceftriaxone is a broad-spectrum antibiotic and belongs to the cephalosporin class. It interacts with bacterial cells by binding to and inhibiting the bacterial cell wall synthesis. This results in the weakening of the cell wall, leading to cell lysis and ultimately bacterial cell death.