South Dakota Medication Aide Practice Test

Question: 1 / 400

What do sulfonamides inhibit bacteria from producing?

Protein

Folic acid

Sulfonamides are a group of antibiotics that primarily inhibit the synthesis of folic acid in bacteria. This is significant because folic acid is crucial for bacteria as it is a vital precursor in the synthesis of nucleotides, which are necessary for DNA and RNA production. Without folic acid, bacteria cannot effectively replicate and carry out essential cellular functions, ultimately leading to their growth inhibition or death.

Understanding the role of folic acid in bacterial metabolism helps illustrate why sulfonamides are effective antimicrobial agents. They mimic the structures of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), a substance that bacteria use to produce folic acid, effectively blocking the pathway. This makes them particularly unique among different classes of antibiotics that target other bacterial components or functions.

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Nucleic acids

Cell walls

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