Question

Name the scientist who discovered penicillin?

Answer 1

Hint: An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance which is active against bacteria. Antibiotics act as the inhibitors or they may kill the bacteria by hindering the mechanism of the bacteria or by the penetration in the cell body. Antibiotics are not effective in the cases of viral disease like flu, common cold or influenza.

Complete answer:
Penicillin is a group of antibiotics that was firstly derived from Penicillium moulds. This group of antibiotics contains penicillin G, penicillin V, procaine penicillin, and benzathine penicillin.
Penicillin antibiotics are regarded as the first medications that worked effectively against many bacterial infections caused by Staphylococci and Streptococci. They were discovered by a Scottish physician-scientist named Alexander Fleming in September 1928 and regarded as an accidental discovery which till date saved a lot of lives. However, due to excessive utilization humans have developed resistance towards it. Also, Fleming and Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, who devised methods for the large-scale isolation and production of penicillin, got the Nobel Prize in 1945 in Physiology/Medicine.
Fleming discovered the penicillin on September 03’1928, when he got back from his holidays and he found that a mold (later found out to be Penicillium notatum) was growing in one of his dishes containing bacterial strains. After the observation of the colonies on the plates he performed a series of experiments. An uncovered Petri dish placed next to an open window became contaminated with mold spores. He observed that the bacteria around the mold colonies died. He isolated the mold and identified it as a member of the Penicillium genus. He observed penicillin is effective against all Gram-positive pathogens, which are responsible for diseases like scarlet fever, pneumonia, gonorrhoea, meningitis and diphtheria. He concluded that the mold secreted a substance which was named as mold juice that inhibits the growth of bacteria.

Stuart Craddock and Frederick Ridley, Fleming’s assistants were asked to isolate pure penicillin from mold juice. This became a difficult and unstable task therefore; they were only able to prepare solutions of crude material to work with.

Note: Penicillin played a major role during World War II, This antibiotic helped reduce the number of deaths and amputations of troops. However, there are many side effects of this such as:



Diarrhea
Nausea
A headache
Skin rashes and hives
Shortness of breath or irregular breathing
Joint pain
Sudden lightheadedness and fainting
Puffiness and redness of the face
Scaly, red skin
Anxiety, fear, or confusion
A sense of impending doom
Hallucinations
Yellowing of the eyes and skin