Question:medium
Mycoplasma is intrinsically resistant to which antibiotic?
Mycoplasma is intrinsically resistant to which antibiotic?
Show Hint
No cell wall means cell-wall-active beta lactams cannot work.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Ceftriaxone
- Cephalosporins
- Aminoglycosides
- Fluoroquinolones
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: The defining feature of mycoplasma is the absence of a peptidoglycan cell wall.
Step 2: Any antibiotic whose mechanism is to disrupt cell wall building has nothing to act on, so it fails; ceftriaxone, a beta lactam cephalosporin, is exactly such a drug.
Step 3: Hence mycoplasma is naturally resistant to ceftriaxone and to all cell-wall-targeting agents.
Step 4: Treatment instead relies on macrolides, tetracyclines, or fluoroquinolones, which strike protein synthesis or DNA replication and are unaffected by the missing wall.
\[\boxed{\text{Ceftriaxone}}\]
Step 2: Any antibiotic whose mechanism is to disrupt cell wall building has nothing to act on, so it fails; ceftriaxone, a beta lactam cephalosporin, is exactly such a drug.
Step 3: Hence mycoplasma is naturally resistant to ceftriaxone and to all cell-wall-targeting agents.
Step 4: Treatment instead relies on macrolides, tetracyclines, or fluoroquinolones, which strike protein synthesis or DNA replication and are unaffected by the missing wall.
\[\boxed{\text{Ceftriaxone}}\]
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