Which pairing correctly matches vancomycin administration with infection type?

Which pairing correctly matches vancomycin administration with infection type?

• A. Oral for systemic infections
• B. IV for systemic infections
• C. IV for C. difficile
• D. Oral for MRSA

Answer: (B)

Vancomycin must reach therapeutic levels in the bloodstream to treat systemic infections, and it does so reliably only when given intravenously. Its oral form is poorly absorbed, so it largely stays in the gut. This makes oral vancomycin ideal for infections confined to the GI tract, like C. difficile colitis, where you want high local concentrations in the gut without systemic exposure. Therefore, the best pairing is administering vancomycin IV for systemic infections. Using oral vancomycin would not treat bloodstream infections effectively, and IV vancomycin isn’t the preferred route for treating gut infections like C. difficile, where oral administration is used to deliver the drug directly to the site of infection. Similarly, MRSA systemic infections require IV therapy to achieve adequate systemic levels, not oral.

Vancomycin must reach therapeutic levels in the bloodstream to treat systemic infections, and it does so reliably only when given intravenously. Its oral form is poorly absorbed, so it largely stays in the gut. This makes oral vancomycin ideal for infections confined to the GI tract, like C. difficile colitis, where you want high local concentrations in the gut without systemic exposure. Therefore, the best pairing is administering vancomycin IV for systemic infections. Using oral vancomycin would not treat bloodstream infections effectively, and IV vancomycin isn’t the preferred route for treating gut infections like C. difficile, where oral administration is used to deliver the drug directly to the site of infection. Similarly, MRSA systemic infections require IV therapy to achieve adequate systemic levels, not oral.