One of the most well known bacterial diseases is strep throat, which is caused by the streptococcal bacteria. To cure strep, most doctors would prescribe antibiotics. However, without the discovery of penicillin, strep would still be a very dangerous infection. Penicillin is an antibiotic from the mold penicillium notam, and works by indirectly breaking down a bacteria’s cell walls. The drug prevents a protein from repairing holes in the wall, and by osmosis, water rushes in and the bacteria explodes. This quickly destroys bacterial infections, which is why it is so popularly used and among one of the most well known antibiotics(Newman). However, it was only discovered through luck, and without it, many discoveries would not have happened and
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Before, children with bacterial meningitis only had a 10% chance of survival; similarly, strep throat, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and whooping cough were all very serious diseases and had a high mortality rate. Now. if a soldier in war gets an infection, doctors don’t have to save cut off their limbs to keep it from spreading as the infections can be treated, pretty easily with antibiotics (“The History of Antibiotics”). Also, many other types of antibiotics have been discovered that can battle infections that penicillin can’t, all because doctors started to look for antibacterial properties in other things in nature. These include quinolones, which treat infections when other antibiotics haven’t worked, carbapenems, which treat moderate to life threatening infections, and tetracyclines, which are broad spectrum and treat many infections like acne, UTI’s, and STD’s (Anderson). However, not all impacts are good. Just like any other drug, antibiotics can be misused and anyone can overdose on them. Many doctors are also quick to prescribe them, which means that as more people use antibiotics, the effectiveness may start wearing off, and people might start to succumb to infections (Derderian). This already seems to be happening, as many new strains of bacteria are coming about, and the antibiotics may not be able to work against the new strains. Yet, overall, penicillin has been one of the most important medical
Before, children with bacterial meningitis only had a 10% chance of survival; similarly, strep throat, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and whooping cough were all very serious diseases and had a high mortality rate. Now. if a soldier in war gets an infection, doctors don’t have to save cut off their limbs to keep it from spreading as the infections can be treated, pretty easily with antibiotics (“The History of Antibiotics”). Also, many other types of antibiotics have been discovered that can battle infections that penicillin can’t, all because doctors started to look for antibacterial properties in other things in nature. These include quinolones, which treat infections when other antibiotics haven’t worked, carbapenems, which treat moderate to life threatening infections, and tetracyclines, which are broad spectrum and treat many infections like acne, UTI’s, and STD’s (Anderson). However, not all impacts are good. Just like any other drug, antibiotics can be misused and anyone can overdose on them. Many doctors are also quick to prescribe them, which means that as more people use antibiotics, the effectiveness may start wearing off, and people might start to succumb to infections (Derderian). This already seems to be happening, as many new strains of bacteria are coming about, and the antibiotics may not be able to work against the new strains. Yet, overall, penicillin has been one of the most important medical