A bacterium has the following characteristics:
∙ It adheres to the human intestinal lining using a feature that protects it from phagocytes, bacteriophages, and dehydration.
∙ It can survive being boiled.
∙ It contains no plasmids and relatively little peptidoglycan.
Which of the following characteristics allows this bacterium to survive in a human who is taking penicillin pills?
A) gram-negative cell wall
B) peptidoglycan in the cell wall
C) lipopolysaccharides in the cytoplasm
D) long polypeptides in the cell wall

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The bacterium's ability to survive in a human taking penicillin pills is attributed to its gram-negative cell wall. Penicillin primarily targets the synthesis of peptidoglycan, which is more abundant in the cell walls of gram-positive bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria have an outer membrane that protects them from many antibiotics, including penicillin, making them inherently more resistant.

A Bacterium Has the Following Characteristics