6.The development of antibiotic-resistant M. leprae is inevitable. Researchers are trying to develop antibiotics that would inhibit the biosynthesis of mycolic acids. Would this type of antibiotic be useful to treat M. leprae infections

explanation below

Explanation:

Leprosy, known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infection that is caused by Mycobacterium leprae. This disease damages peripheral nerves and effect areas like skin, yes, muscles and noses. Antibiotics are used to treat the infection between 6 – 12 months. When infected people refuse to follow the treatment schedules given to them by the medical experts, there is usually the development of more antibiotic-resistant M. leprae.  

M. leprae, just like tuberculosis, cell walls contain fatty molecules known as mycolic acids, which make the bacteria less susceptible to antibiotics.  

Researchers have made remarkable progress in developing drugs such as ethionamide, isoxyl, thiolactomycin, and triclosan that are known to inhibit mycolic acid biosynthesis.  

The development of these drugs are part of the tuberculosis drug discovery efforts (in the last one decade) which has been successfully applied to therapeutic targets in the unique mycobacterial wall.  

Since morphology and cell wall of M. leprae does not differ remarkably from that of M. tuberculosis, antibiotic developed to inhibit the biosynthesis of mycolic acids would help to treat leprosy