Question

Antibiotics are medicines that are used to fight bacterial infections. These medicines kill prokaryotic cells without harming human cells. What part or parts of the bacterial cell do you think antibiotics target? Why?

a) Cell membrane; disrupts structure and function
b) Ribosomes; inhibits protein synthesis
c) Nucleus; prevents DNA replication
d) Mitochondria; disrupts energy production

Answer 1

Antibiotics target the ribosomes of bacterial cells, inhibiting protein synthesis and killing bacteria without harming human cells.

Step-by-step explanation:

Antibiotics target different parts of the bacterial cell in order to kill the bacteria without harming human cells. In most cases, antibiotics target the ribosomes of the bacterial cell. Ribosomes are responsible for protein synthesis, and by inhibiting their function, antibiotics prevent the bacteria from producing essential proteins. Since human cells have different ribosomes, they are not affected by these antibiotics. Some examples of antibiotics that target ribosomes include chloramphenicol and tetracycline.