This exact question has just been addressed in sci.bio.microbiology.
Jenny Gibbs wrote:
> I'm an A-Level Biology student and am in the middle of a Microbiology
> coursework.
>> I had to research and compare the effectiveness of Streptomycin against a
> gram positive (Staphylococcus albus) and a gram-negative (E.coli) bacteria.
> I found that Streptomycin was significantly more effective against the
> gram-negative strain, a pattern supported by background research. I know
> that Streptomycin works by inhibiting protein synthesis but can't see why
> this would be more effective against gram negatives than gram positives,
> particularly given the fact that gram-negatives have the second outer
> membrane to inhibit the entry of chemicals into a cell.
> Can anyone help please?
> I will make due reference to any help in the Bibliography section of the
> coursework.
> Many thanks.
> Jenny
>>
