beta - Lactamases cause resistance to
penicillins and cephalosporins by: (A) Breaking one chemical bond, (B) Breaking two chemical bonds, (C) Adding amino (NH2) groups to a molecule, (D) Inhibiting transpeptidase enzymes
Answer is A. Penicillins and cephalosporins are called beta-Iactam drugs because of the importance of the intact BETA-lactam ring for antimicrobial activity. -Lac­tamases inactivate these drugs by breaking the single bond in their BETA-lactam ring. BETA-Lactamases are coded for by either a transferable plasmid or by the genome of the organism. Plasmids are extrachromosomal genetic elements that may be transferred among unrelated bacteria.