Which statement best summarizes why beta-lactam antibiotics are bactericidal?

• A. They neutralize bacterial toxins in the periplasmic space which prevents autolytic enzyme inhibition and results in cell lysis over several days during stationary phase.
• B. They inhibit penicillin-binding proteins that form peptide cross-links in peptidoglycan, causing newly synthesized cell wall to remain un-cross-linked and allowing osmotic lysis of growing bacteria.
• C. They bind ribosomal RNA to stop protein synthesis and thereby indirectly weaken the cell wall over long time periods causing eventual cell death through resource depletion.
• D. They intercalate into the cell membrane and create nonselective pores that cause an immediate depolarization and rapid lysis, independent of cell growth and division, which is why they kill both growing and non-growing cells equally.

Answer: (B)