Final answer:
The term bacteriostatic refers to agents that A. inhibit bacterial growth without killing the bacteria, and these effects are reversible. The related term fungistatic applies to agents that inhibit the growth of fungi, including molds and yeast. In contrast, bactericidal agents kill bacteria.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term bacteriostatic refers to substances or treatments that A. inhibit bacterial growth without necessarily killing the bacteria.
When a bacteriostatic agent is used, it causes a reversible inhibition of the bacteria's ability to divide, but once the agent is eliminated, bacterial growth may resume.
This is in contrast to bactericidal agents that irreversibly kill bacteria.
To illustrate these concepts with an example, consider a microbial control protocol that aims to control the growth of molds and yeast.
The corresponding term for an agent that inhibits the growth of fungi, including molds and yeast, is fungistatic.
Therefore, the answer to the question about a protocol that inhibits the growth of molds and yeast would be D. fungistatic.
Antibiotics can be either bacteriostatic or bactericidal, depending on how they interact with prokaryotic cells.
Antibiotics target various parts of the bacterial cell, such as the cell wall, protein synthesis machinery, or DNA replication processes.
These targets are specific enough that they don't damage human cells, which significantly differ in structure and function from bacterial cells.