Streptomycin is an antibiotic that kills bacteria by interfering with the function of their ribosomes - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 9 - 2021 - Paper 1
Question 9
Streptomycin is an antibiotic that kills bacteria by interfering with the function of their ribosomes.
The primary effect of the antibiotic is that it prevents the ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Streptomycin is an antibiotic that kills bacteria by interfering with the function of their ribosomes - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 9 - 2021 - Paper 1
Step 1
The primary effect of the antibiotic is that it prevents the bacteria from producing D. polypeptides.
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Answer
Streptomycin targets the bacterial ribosome, which is essential for protein synthesis. By inhibiting the function of the ribosomes, streptomycin prevents bacteria from successfully synthesizing polypeptides, which are chains of amino acids that make up proteins. In this way, the antibiotic effectively stifles bacterial growth and reproduction by blocking the production of essential proteins.