22nd July 2023

A 72-year-old woman has been admitted to the Care of the Elderly ward with a 2-day history of fevers

A 72-year-old woman has been admitted to the Care of the Elderly ward with a 2-day history of fevers, foul-smelling urine and right flank discomfort. She is admitted for monitoring and is started on IV antibiotics. On day 6 of her admission, her nurse reports that she is opening her bowels 5 times a day. The stool is type 7 on the Bristol stool chart and is extremely pungent. Her consultant is suspicious that she may have acquired a Clostridium difficile infection.

Which of the following antibiotics is most likely to have caused this infection?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.