Step 1: Bacteria cannot use preformed folic acid from the host and must synthesise it themselves. A key building block in this synthesis is para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA).
Step 2: Sulphonamides are structural analogues of PABA. Because they resemble the natural substrate, they bind to the active site of the bacterial enzyme dihydropteroate synthase (folate synthase).
Step 3: Since the drug and PABA compete for the same active site, this is competitive inhibition. Increasing the amount of PABA can overcome the block, which is the hallmark of a competitive mechanism.
Step 4: Non-competitive, uncompetitive and allosteric inhibition all involve binding at sites other than the substrate site or do not allow reversal by excess substrate, so they do not describe the PABA-analogue mechanism. Hence competitive inhibition is correct.