Question

Some bacteriostatic antibiotics work by binding to enzymes needed by bacteria to build proteins essential for their own growth and reproduction. These drugs act as inhibitors to the bacterial enzymes but they target enzymes we don't have. Now, imagine you overhear your friend saying "antibiotics kill bacteria so they must kill healthy human cells too and they must be avoided at all costs!" Kindly explain to your friend (who has very little science background) how it is possible to target bacteria based on enzyme specificity. Be sure to include how targeting these enzymes is effective at stopping the infection.

Answer 1

Answer: This statement ("antibiotics kill bacteria so they must kill healthy human cells too and they must be avoided at all costs!") is wrong and can be proven to be so in the following explanation about the mode of actions of antibiotics.

Step-by-step explanation:

Antibiotics are drugs which are used for the treatment of diseases caused by bacteria microorganisms. According to their mode of action, they can either be bactericidal or bacteriostatic.

Bacteriostatic antibiotics work by binding to enzymes needed by bacteria to build proteins essential for their own growth and reproduction. Atypical example is the antibiotics, sulfonamide. This drug acts by inhibiting a critical enzyme called dihydropteroate synthase which are specific to the metabolic pathway of the bacteria cells for the synthesis of folic acid. This causes the bacteria to stop growing. Together with the actions of the immune system, the bacteriostatic actions of the antibiotics can effectively stop am infection without affecting the host cells.