Pharmacology · single question

Which of the following antibiotics is the EXCEPTION among typically bactericidal agents — i.e., it is generally bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal?

  1. Cephalexin
  2. Amoxicillin
  3. Penicillin
  4. Doxycycline (a tetracycline, classically bacteriostatic, inhibiting protein synthesis rather than directly killing bacteria)
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Correct answer: D. Doxycycline (a tetracycline, classically bacteriostatic, inhibiting protein synthesis rather than directly killing bacteria)

Beta-lactams (cephalexin, amoxicillin, penicillin) are classically bactericidal, killing bacteria by inhibiting cell wall synthesis. Doxycycline, a tetracycline-class antibiotic, is classically bacteriostatic — it inhibits bacterial protein synthesis (30S ribosomal subunit) and halts bacterial growth/reproduction rather than directly killing the organism, relying on the host immune system to clear the (now non-replicating) bacteria.

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