Why is the Presence of a Cell Wall Significant from a Clinical

Question

Why is the presence of a cell wall significant from a clinical standpoint?
A) All types of cells have a cell wall, and it makes identification of the causative agent of disease difficult.
B) The cell wall protects microorganisms from destruction by the immune system.
C) Animal cells do not have cell walls, so antibiotics that target cell walls can selectively destroy invading microorganisms.
D) Only gram-negative Bacteria have cell walls.

Accepted Answer

Antibiotics such as penicillin target the cell walls of bacteria, which makes them selectively toxic to bacterial cells but not to animal cells because animal cells lack cell walls. This makes targeting the cell wall a viable approach to treating bacterial infections.

Answer: B 
 The presence of a cell wall can protect microorganisms from destruction by the immune system, making infections caused by microorganisms with a cell wall more difficult to treat. Additionally, some microorganisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis have complex cell walls that make them particularly difficult to treat with antibiotics.

Answer: A 
 While many different types of microorganisms have cell walls, the presence of a cell wall can be used as a diagnostic tool for identifying the causative agent of disease. However, this is not a significant issue from a clinical standpoint as there are many other methods available for identifying microorganisms that cause disease.

Answer: D 
 This statement is incorrect. Both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria have cell walls, although their cell walls differ in composition. The cell walls of gram-negative bacteria have an outer membrane that is not present in gram-positive bacteria, which makes them more resistant to antibiotics that target the cell wall.