Question

The Gram stain is the first clue a physician has when she is trying to choose the correct antibiotic to treat an infection. Why do most physicians start out by prescribing a broad-spectrum antibiotic, but then switch to a narrow-spectrum antibiotic when they know the identification of the organism causing the disease?

Answer 1

Ans) Most physicians start from broad spectrum antibiotics so that a multitude or wide range of perceived resistant pathogens could be covered but once the causative agent of the disease is known, the physician shifts to narrow-spectrum antibiotics because narrow-spectrum antibiotics are used for specific infections when the causative organism is known so that the antibiotics will not harm the other normal microorganisms in the body, unlike the broad-spectrum antibiotics.