In: Biology
Why is it important to know which microbes are prokaryotes and
which are eukaryotes?
A) most antibiotics are directed against the prokaryotes
B) eukaryotes cause much more serious disease
C) there are no vaccines for diseases caused by prokaryotes
D) viruses that are human pathogens only replicate in eukaryotic
cells
E) it is not important to know
Answer is A.
Most of the antibiotics are directed towards destroying prokaryotic microbes like bacteria. Antibiotics work by affecting things that prokaryotic cells have but not eukaryotes like human.
For example in case of antibiotic Penicillin, it inhibits cell wall formation by bacteria because of which the organism gets killed.As human cells are without cell wall by nature it won't affect them. An another antibiotic Ciprofloxacin causes breakage of bacterial DNA and also prevents its repairment.