A microbiology student has walking pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae. He decides to self-medicate with the leftover penicillin tablets he had from his last case of Streptococcus pyogenes. What is the fault in his thought process?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mycoplasma pneumoniae lacks a cell wall, which is the target of penicillin's action. Penicillin inhibits cell wall synthesis, but since M. pneumoniae does not have a cell wall, the antibiotic is ineffective against it.

A Microbiology Student Has Walking Pneumonia Due to Mycoplasma Pneumoniae