Final answer:
The statement in question is false. Antibiotics that interfere with peptidoglycan synthesis, such as penicillin, are effective because they target bacterial cell walls, which human cells do not have. This differential in cell structure allows antibiotics to selectively kill bacteria without harming human cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that antibiotics that interfere with peptidoglycan synthesis are ineffective in the treatment of infections because these organisms lack a cell wall is false.
Bacteria are surrounded by a cell wall that is important for their protection and is made up of peptidoglycan, a complex molecule consisting of sugars and amino acids. Antibiotics, such as penicillin and its derivatives, target the synthesis of these peptidoglycan cell walls.
These antibiotics are effective because human cells, unlike bacterial cells, do not have peptidoglycan cell walls, making it an example of selective toxicity. Cell wall synthesis inhibitors like penicillin function by interfering with the enzyme-transpeptidase that catalyzes the last step in bacterial cell-wall biosynthesis, leading to the burst of bacterial cells due to defective walls.