Question

Please select the FALSE statement regarding antibiotic resistance.

1) Changes in the porin proteins can prevent certain antimicrobials from entering a cell's periplasm or cytoplasm.
2) The bacterial enzyme chloramphenicol acetyltransferase confers resistance to the penicillins.
3) Modifications in the penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) prevent β-lactam antibiotics from binding to them.
4) Some antibiotic-inactivating enzymes have an extended spectrum and confer resistance to a wide variety of antibiotics.
5) Bacteria that produce efflux pumps sometimes become resistant to several different antimicrobials simultaneously.

Answer 1

The false statement is number 2, which inaccurately attributes resistance to penicillins through chloramphenicol acetyltransferase; the correct enzyme conferring resistance to penicillins is β-lactamase.

Step-by-step explanation:

The FALSE statement regarding antibiotic resistance is: 2) The bacterial enzyme chloramphenicol acetyltransferase confers resistance to the penicillins. This statement is incorrect because chloramphenicol acetyltransferase confers resistance to chloramphenicol, not penicillins. Penicillins are targeted by β-lactamases which break down the β-lactam ring present in penicillin antibiotics.

Other statements correctly describe resistance mechanisms. Such as, (1) Changes in porin proteins can prevent antimicrobials from entering a cell; (3) Modifications in the penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) can prevent β-lactam antibiotics from binding effectively; (4) Some antibiotic-inactivating enzymes have an extended spectrum that allows them to confer resistance to a variety of antibiotics; and (5) Bacteria producing efflux pumps become resistant to several different antimicrobials simultaneously.