You Are Looking After Your Sister's Cat Singa

You are looking after your sister's cat Singa. While playing one evening, Singa accidentally bites you instead of the toy mouse you are holding. The bite wound is very small but is in the fleshy part of your hand. You wash the wound, which is not bleeding much, and put a band aid on it. The next day, your whole hand is red, swollen, and painful, and some lymph nodes in your arm are enlarged and tender. You call your sister, who is an RN. She urges you to go to the doctor, telling you that animal bites can sometimes be infected, and that if that is the case, you will need treatment before the infection gets any worse.
-You are given a prescription for both a penicillin derivative AND a β-lactamase inhibitor. Why are you given these medications?

A) Both P. multicoda and B. henselae produce β-lactamases. They are thus treated with β-lactamase-inhibiting medications. In addition, skin microbiota such as S. epidermidis respond to penicillins.
B) Both P. multicoda and B. henselae respond to penicillin derivatives. In addition, some bite wounds are infected with strains of β-lactamase-producing Staphylococcus aureus.
C) Both P. multicoda and B. henselae are encapsulated, so respond well to penicillin derivatives. In addition, some bite wounds are infected with strains of β-lactamase-producing Staphylococcus epidermidis.
D) The causative organisms of cat bite infections and bartonellosis are not well characterized. For this reason, penicillin derivatives and inhibitors of these medications are given synergistically.
E) Both P. multicoda and B. henselae respond to penicillin derivatives. In addition, some bite wounds are infected with strains of β-lactamase-producing Streptobacillus moniliformis.

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