CW #16

CW #16: Antibiotic Therapy
1. Work with your partner(s) to research how the following classes of antibiotics
affect and destroy bacteria:
o Penicillins (also called ?-Lactam antibiotics)
o Tetracyclines
o Fluoroquinolones
o Sulfa antibiotics (Sulfonamids)
2. For each class of antibiotic, indicate where and how the antibiotic affects the
bacterial cell on your bacterial cell diagram.
3. Research the structure of Neisseria menigitidis bacteria. Take notes in your
laboratory journal. Determine if it is a Gram positive or Gram negative bacteria.
4. Answer the Conclusion questions.
Conclusion
1 What cellular components do some bacterial cells have that make them powerful
pathogens? Explain your answer.
2 Why are penicillins often more effective against Gram positive bacteria than
Gram negative bacteria?
3 Why is it important to understand the structure of a bacterial cell when
developing an antibiotic?
4 How do antibiotics work without harming the surrounding human cells?
5. What class of antibiotics would you prescribe for Sue? Explain your answer.
6. Why are antibiotics NOT effective against viruses? (Think back to what you
learned about viruses in PBS.)