Answer:
D) Antbiotics kill damaging bacteria by rupturing cell walls.
Step-by-step explanation:
Antibiotics are drugs that kill bacteria or slow their growth. They function in various ways, but one common mechanism is by interfering with the construction of the bacterial cell wall, causing the bacterium to burst and die. Importantly, antibiotics are effective against bacteria, but they do not work against viral infections because viruses do not have cell walls.
The other options are not accurate:
A) Antibiotics do not attack all bacteria cell membranes. They selectively target specific types of bacteria, and some bacteria are naturally resistant or can become resistant to certain antibiotics.
B) Antibiotics are not effective against viruses. Viruses lack the structures that antibiotics target, such as cell walls.
C) Antibiotics do not protect the membranes of bacterial pathogens. Their purpose is to kill or inhibit the growth of these pathogens, not to protect them.