Paper I — 2024 March (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme) — Q10
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Paper I
2024 March (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme) · 40 marks · 120 min
Question
Name TWO cell wall acting antibiotics
Q102 marksShort Notes
Answer
Two cell-wall-acting antibiotics (inhibitors of bacterial cell wall synthesis, exploiting the fact that mammalian cells lack a peptidoglycan cell wall, giving these agents selective toxicity):
Penicillin (a beta-lactam) — inhibits transpeptidase (penicillin-binding proteins), blocking the final cross-linking step of peptidoglycan synthesis.
Vancomycin (a glycopeptide) — binds the D-Ala-D-Ala terminus of peptidoglycan precursor units, sterically blocking their incorporation into the growing cell wall (used particularly for Gram-positive infections including MRSA).
(Other valid examples: other beta-lactams — cephalosporins, carbapenems, monobactams.)
