Cationic detergents disrupt the cell by targeting which bacterial structure?

• A. Cell wall
• B. Ribosomes
• C. Nucleoid
• D. Cell membrane

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the nature of cationic detergents: these are positively charged molecules that interact with negatively charged components of bacterial cells.
2. Recall the main bacterial structures: cell wall, ribosomes, nucleoid, and cell membrane, and their roles in the cell.
3. Analyze how cationic detergents affect bacterial cells by disrupting membranes due to their amphipathic nature, which allows them to insert into and destabilize lipid bilayers.
4. Recognize that the bacterial cell membrane is composed of a phospholipid bilayer with negatively charged components, making it the primary target for cationic detergents.
5. Conclude that cationic detergents disrupt the bacterial cell by targeting the cell membrane, not the cell wall, ribosomes, or nucleoid.