Question

Scientists at a pharmaceutical company are exposing bacteria to new "prototype" antibiotics. During antibiotic treatment, many of these bacteria swell and eventually lyse. These new antibiotics likely target which of the following in bacteria? Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

a) mitochondria and energy production
b) nuclei and genetic material
c) peptidoglycan synthesis and cell walls
d) ribosomes and protein synthesis

Answer 1

c. peptidoglycan synthesis and cell walls

Answer 2

The correct answer is c) peptidoglycan synthesis and cell walls

Step-by-step explanation:

The cell wall of bacteria is made up of peptidoglycan layers and lysis of cell occurs when antibacterial or antibiotic works on cell wall like in case beta-lactam antibiotic for example penicillin which causes cell lysis by ceasing transpeptidation reaction.

So this reaction is ceased, bacteria do not able to form new cell walls so holes are created in the cell wall. So due to these holes, the osmotic pressure inside the bacterial cell becomes high due to transfer of molecule inside it which cause cell lysis.

Therefore if new antibiotics cause bacterial cell swelling and eventually cell lysis then the new antibiotic is likely to target the peptidoglycan synthesis and cell walls.