Question

You have determined that your patient has a gram-positive infection.

What assumption could you make about the cell wall?
O The cell wall is composed of an outer membrane.
O It could be inhibited by antibiotics that target peptidoglycan synthesis.
O The organism has two plasma membranes.
O The organism can cause septic shock because of the endotoxin.

Answer 1

The cell wall of a gram-positive bacterium can be assumed to be thick with peptidoglycan, making it susceptible to antibiotics targeting peptidoglycan synthesis, and does not contain LPS that causes septic shock.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you have determined that a patient has a gram-positive infection, several assumptions can be made about the cell wall of the organism. Gram-positive bacteria have a cell wall that is thick and primarily composed of peptidoglycan, with teichoic acids that provide reinforcement.

Given this information, the correct assumption is that the cell wall of gram-positive bacteria could be inhibited by antibiotics that target peptidoglycan synthesis. Antibiotics like penicillin are notoriously effective against gram-positive bacteria for this reason. Since gram-positive bacteria do not have an outer membrane, they also do not have lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and hence cannot cause septic shock due to endotoxin, which is associated with gram-negative bacteria.

Answer 2

Gram-positive bacteria have a cell wall composed of peptidoglycan and can be targeted by antibiotics that inhibit peptidoglycan synthesis.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you have determined that your patient has a gram-positive infection, you can assume that the cell wall is composed of peptidoglycan. Gram-positive bacteria have a thick layer of peptidoglycan in their cell wall, which makes them susceptible to antibiotics that target peptidoglycan synthesis. This type of cell wall does not have an outer membrane or two plasma membranes. Additionally, septic shock is not caused by endotoxin produced by gram-positive bacteria.

Learn more about Gram-positive infection and cell wall composition