Question

Name one to two steps in the pathogen life cycle targeted by antibiotics, the name of the antibiotics that target them, and the time during infection when the antibiotics are most effective.

Answer 1

The steps in which the pathogen life cycle get targeted by antibiotics are

• Inhibition of cell wall synthesis( most common mechanism)
• Inhibition of protein synthesis( translation)(second largest class)
• Alteration of cell membrane
• Inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis
• Antimetabolite Activity

Many antibiotics, including penicillin, work by attacking the cell wall of bacteria. specifically, the drugs prevent the bacteria from synthesizing, a molecule in the cell wall called peptidoglycan, which provides the wall with the strength it needs to survive in the human body.