Question:

Which of the following is NOT a bacteriostatic antibiotic?

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Glycopeptides smash the cell wall - that means killing, not just stalling growth.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
  • Clindamycin
  • Vancomycin
  • Tetracycline
  • Cephalosporins
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Recall the concept. Bacteriostatic agents only limit bacterial growth by interfering with protein synthesis, DNA replication, or other metabolic steps, while bactericidal agents actually kill the organism, usually by irreversibly inhibiting cell wall synthesis.
Step 2: Classify each option. Clindamycin (lincosamide), tetracycline, and the macrolides/lincosamides group are classically bacteriostatic because they block the bacterial ribosome reversibly.
Step 3: Identify the odd one out. Vancomycin is a glycopeptide that inhibits cell wall synthesis and is bactericidal, not bacteriostatic. Therefore vancomycin is the antibiotic that is NOT bacteriostatic, making option b correct.
Step 4: Note on the distractors. Cephalosporins are also bactericidal cell-wall agents, so strictly more than one beta-lactam style answer kills bacteria, but among the listed options the single best fit for the classic teaching of a NOT-bacteriostatic drug grouped with two bacteriostatic ribosomal agents is vancomycin.
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