Which antimicrobial class is ineffective against Mycoplasma pneumoniae due to its lack of a cell wall?

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Multiple Choice

Which antimicrobial class is ineffective against Mycoplasma pneumoniae due to its lack of a cell wall?

Beta-lactam antibiotics work by blocking peptidoglycan synthesis in the bacterial cell wall. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, however, has no cell wall at all—just a cell membrane—so there’s no wall for the drug to target. That makes this class ineffective against it. Other drug classes act on targets not dependent on a cell wall: macrolides and tetracyclines inhibit protein synthesis on ribosomes, and fluoroquinolones inhibit DNA replication. Because their targets exist in Mycoplasma, these classes can be effective. In practice, macrolides are commonly used to treat Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections.

Beta-lactam antibiotics work by blocking peptidoglycan synthesis in the bacterial cell wall. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, however, has no cell wall at all—just a cell membrane—so there’s no wall for the drug to target. That makes this class ineffective against it. Other drug classes act on targets not dependent on a cell wall: macrolides and tetracyclines inhibit protein synthesis on ribosomes, and fluoroquinolones inhibit DNA replication. Because their targets exist in Mycoplasma, these classes can be effective. In practice, macrolides are commonly used to treat Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections.

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