Final answer:
The nurse recognizes that the condition that can occur due to the disruption of normal flora during antibiotic therapy is a superinfection, which is a secondary infection resulting from the eradication of protective microbiota by broad-spectrum antimicrobials. The correct option is b.
Step-by-step explanation:
During antibiotic therapy, the nurse will assess the patient for a condition that may occur due to the disruption of normal flora. The correct answer the nurse recognizes is superinfection. A superinfection is a secondary infection that may develop when long-term, broad-spectrum antimicrobials disrupt the body's normal microbiota.
Antibiotics can kill protective microbiota, allowing pathogens resistant to the antibiotics to proliferate and cause a new infection. Common examples of superinfections include yeast infections (candidiasis) and pseudomembranous colitis caused by Clostridium difficile, which can be fatal.
The overgrowth of C. difficile illustrates how misuse of antibiotics can lead to hospital-acquired infections in immunocompromised patients and why maintaining the balance of normal flora is essential for health. Option b. is the correct one.