Bacteriostatics

[icedoxx]

Hey im doing an essay on Antibiotics and how they work. i need some help with how Bacteriostatics work, ive looked on some websites and most of the information is very confusing..

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultran ... racyclines

i know that tetracyclines is a Bacteriostatic antibiotic. I know that it inhibits protien synthesis in a cell but how does this occur. This website says that the tetracyline molecule binds to 30s subunit. what does this mean and what is its effect? im doing the my last year of highschool so i would appriciate it if people explained everything in simple terms.

THANKS!!

icedoxx

[Cat]

The effect is tRNA that brings the amino acid to add to the growing chain of protein cannot bind to ribosome and there is not protein synthesis while tetracycline is present. Cells cannot grow and eventually they die, but if this antibiotic is removed prematurely, cells can resume their normal activity as soon as tetracycline is degraded. Hence its bacteriostatic effect.

[icedoxx]

Thanks Cat.

is this how all bacteriostatic agents work? or just tetracycline?