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A patient with multibacillary leprosy is on dapsone, clofazimine, and rifampin. Which of the following is true regarding the mechanism of action of the medications listed?
A, B -- false -- dapsone inhibits bacterial synthesis of dihydrofolic acid, via competition with para- aminobenzoate for the active site of dihydropteroate synthetase. Dapsone is both bacteriostatic and weakly bactericidal against M. leprae. Neither of the listed mechanisms are the cause of these effects. C -- False -- A substance with both anti-leprosy and anti-inflammatory activity, clofazimine is weakly bactericidal against M. leprae by binding to the guanine bases of bacterial DNA, not DNA polymerase directly. D -- False -- See below. E -- True -- Rifampin is bactericidal by inhibiting RNA synthesis by blocking DNA-dependent RNA polymerase.