Second generation anticoagulants are characterized by which feeding pattern?

Second generation anticoagulants are characterized by which feeding pattern?

• A. They are non-toxic to rodents
• B. A single feeding can cause death
• C. They require multiple days of feeding
• D. They are less toxic than first generation

Answer: (B)

Second generation anticoagulants are much more potent than the older products, so they can deliver a lethal dose with far fewer meals. They work by inhibiting vitamin K recycling, leading to a rapid drop in clotting factors and fatal internal bleeding. Because of their high potency and persistence in the body, a single feeding can often be enough to cause death, which is why this choice is the best fit. The other statements don’t describe how these poisons behave: they aren’t non-toxic, they aren’t typically less toxic than first generation, and they don’t consistently require multiple days of feeding to kill.

Second generation anticoagulants are much more potent than the older products, so they can deliver a lethal dose with far fewer meals. They work by inhibiting vitamin K recycling, leading to a rapid drop in clotting factors and fatal internal bleeding. Because of their high potency and persistence in the body, a single feeding can often be enough to cause death, which is why this choice is the best fit. The other statements don’t describe how these poisons behave: they aren’t non-toxic, they aren’t typically less toxic than first generation, and they don’t consistently require multiple days of feeding to kill.