Antibiotics are chemicals produced by microorganisms which are capable of destroying or inhibiting the growth of another microorganism. The microorganisms that produce antibiotics are mostly bacteria and a few fungi. Now synthetic antibiotics are also available. Antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections but are of no use against viruses.
The discovery of penicillin is attributed to Alexander Fleming in 1928. He was studying bacteria in his lab. He left a dish with bacteria uncovered. When he returned to his laboratory after a holiday, he noticed a mold, Penicillium notatum, growing on that bacterial culture. To his surprise, the mold killed the bacteria around it. He realized the mold was producing a special substance that could kill a wide range of harmful bacteria. He isolated the substance and named it penicillin.
Fleming thought penicillin could be used to treat bacterial infections, but he needed help to develop it. He worked with two other scientists, Florey and Chain, to purify and mass- produce penicillin.
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Finally, penicillin was ready to use, and it revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections. It saved many lives and became a widely used medicine. In short, Fleming's discovery of penicillin was an accident that led to a breakthrough in medicine. It has been estimated that Penicillin has saved over 500 million lives.
Penicillin was the first successful antibiotic used in medicine. From 1940s to 1960s it was widely used throughout the world against bacterial infections. But afterwards many bacteria get resistant against penicillin. Penicillin is still used to treat some bacterial infections.
Antibiotics are derived from various natural sources, including: