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How does the antibiotic penicillin kill bacterial cells? Is it more effective against gram positive or gram negative organisms? Explain.

Most bacteria produce a cell wall that is composed partly of a macromolecule called peptidoglycan, made up of amino sugars and short peptides. Penicillin, one of the first antibiotics to be used widely, prevents the final cross-linking step, or transpeptidation, in assembly of this macromolecule. The result is a very fragile cell wall that bursts, killing the bacterium. In other worlds, â-lactam antibiotics work by inhibiting the formation of peptidoglycan cross links in the bacterial cell wall. The â-lactam moiety of penicillin binds to the enzyme (transpeptidase) that links the peptidoglycan molecules in bacteria, and this weakens the cell wall of the bacterium when it multiplies (in other words, the antibiotic causes cytolysis or death when the bacterium tries to divide). Antibiotic penicillin is more effective against gram-positive organisms because…..

Antibiotic penicillin is more effective against gram-positive organisms because gram-positive bacteria have a thicker layer of peptidoglycan in their cell walls compared to gram-negative bacteria. The peptidoglycan layer is the target of penicillin. Since gram-positive bacteria have a larger amount of peptidoglycan, there is more surface area for the antibiotic to bind to and inhibit the transpeptidation step, leading to a weakened cell wall and eventually cell death.

To determine whether penicillin is more effective against gram-positive or gram-negative organisms, you can perform a simple experiment called a gram stain. This involves staining bacterial cells with crystal violet dye, followed by iodine, ethanol, and a counterstain called safranin. The gram-positive bacteria will retain the crystal violet color due to their thick peptidoglycan layer, while the gram-negative bacteria will lose the crystal violet stain during the decolorization step and take on the safranin counterstain.

By observing the results of the gram stain, you can determine the effectiveness of penicillin against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria that retain the crystal violet color would indicate that penicillin is effective against them, while gram-negative bacteria that take on the counterstain indicate that penicillin is less effective against them.