Penicillin: Alexander Fleming’s Discovery Story and a Brief Science Summary of Antibiotics.
In 1929, an English doctor, Dr. Alexander Fleming, discovered the first antibiotic, penicillin, almost by accident, while he was carrying out research on some respiratory tract diseases.
A microscopic fungus – Penicillum notatum – invaded the cultures of microbes that Fleming was using for his research. The scholar was thus able to observe that the substances produced by these fungi prevented the growth of the bacteria, and indeed destroyed them. Around 1940, penicillin was mass-produced and its use began to spread. This discovery, together with that of other antibiotics, has been of great use to humanity, since it is now possible to eradicate diseases that were once incurable.
Now, the discovery of penicillin consisted essentially of this: the English scientist noticed that Penicillum notatum, one of the many molds existing in nature, produces a substance capable of killing bacteria that are pathogenic to the human body. This paved the way for the development of drugs called antibiotics. The first of these was penicillin: but if its discovery dates back to 1929 , its use in therapy occurred only in 1940, thanks to the experiments and research of a group of researchers from the English University of Oxford, led by Chain and Florey. The new drug was soon produced on an industrial scale in the United States, and used already during the Second World War by the Allied armed forces.
As for the post-war period, it is estimated that this almost miraculous discovery saved the lives of millions of polio victims throughout the world. Penicillin today is not only extracted from cultures of the mold Penicillum notatum, but is also produced synthetically.
ANTIBIOTICS
The term antibiotic is commonly used to indicate any substance that certain microorganisms – molds, bacteria – produce for the specific purpose of fighting, blocking, and if necessary suppressing, antagonistic microorganisms of a different species. This term actually comes from two Greek words that mean against life , of bacteria of course! These substances are very toxic to bacterial cells, while they are practically harmless to those of the human organism.
Antibiotics have been used to defeat bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis and pneumonia, which until about 50 years ago were almost impossible to cure. Some antibiotics are bactericidal, that is, they kill bacteria, others are bacteriostatic, that is, they inhibit their reproduction. Sometimes, with prolonged use of one of these substances, resistant bacterial strains appear , for which that antibiotic loses its effectiveness. To resolve the disease, it will then be necessary to resort to a different antibiotic.
However, it must be taken into account that this type of drug also destroys the bacteria of the intestinal flora , useful for the assimilation and production of vitamins; therefore, antibiotics should never be taken without a doctor’s prescription and supervision, especially in the case of illnesses such as colds or flu which are of viral origin.
