Investigating the discovery of Antibiotics, what was its mechanism,

how did the bacteria behave, how was it put into use to fight diseases,
how it helped in the World war I, issues it created and its overall
impact to the modern-day world and environment.

Antibiotics
World War I brought about many changes that led to new advances in medicine
and modern medical practices. Whether it was reformed cleanliness standards,
new medicines, updated triage practices, or anaesthetic, nurses and their
medical officers did what it took to meet the needs of the soldiers.
Humanity first saw such a
massively destructive war, Antibiotics was first discovered by Alexander
with casualties of 37 million Fleming. Fleming when returned from a two-week
people. vacation to find that a mould had developed on an
As we saw trench warfare for accidentally contaminated staphylococcus (a
the first time, soldiers living in common bacteria) culture plate. Upon examination of
unsanitary conditions and the mould, he noticed that the culture prevented the
closed quarters gave rise to growth of staphylococci. But he still hadn’t unlocked
many new types of bacteria, its true potential.
viruses, fungi.
Later on Though Fleming stopped studying penicillin
Some soldiers died of fatal in 1931, his research was continued and finished by
wounds, but most died Howard Flory and Ernst Chain, researchers at
because of secondary University of Oxford who are credited with the
infection development of penicillin for use as a medicine in
This forced the need for much mice.
more powerful medicine.
So, the research in medicine was boosted, and as a result, many new cures and
ideas were discovered.
One of the most important discoveries in medical history took place in these
times. This was called Antibiotics.
Antibiotics have been called the single most important therapeutic discovery in
the history of medicine.
Sir Alexander Fleming, the then relatively unknown bacteriology Research
scientist, observed that most of the soldiers in the World War I, did not die from
their injuries but by secondary infections. He was able to predict the most likely
causes of infection depending on the injury that had taken place. While he was
being helpful in identifying the injury, treating the wounds was made easier. He
later discovered Penicillin, an antibiotic which helped kill Staphylococcus, a
bacterium that caused sore throats, boils and abscesses.
Acriflavine
Antibiotics are substances
produced by various species of In 1945, Sir Alexander Fleming, predicted
micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi, the development of Antibiotic resistant. He
and actinomycetes) that suppress shared a Hypothetical story where, Mr X
the growth of other Micro-
gets infected with streptococci, and he
organisms and eventually may
destroy them. These are
takes less penicillin than he requires, which
produced through natural doesn’t kill the bacteria but educates him to
processes. resist the antibiotic. He then gives his wife
Mrs X the bacteria who then gets
Anti-microbial agents are the
chemicals that kill or inhibits the
pneumonia and dies to resistant bacteria.
growth of micro-organisms. These Moral: “If you use penicillin. Use enough”
can be chemically synthesised.
Antibiotics are a type of Anti-
microbial agent.
An Anti-Microbial agent can ideally: -
1. Kill or inhibit the growth of pathogens
2. Cause no damage to the host.
3. Cause no allergic reaction to the host.
4. Stable when stored in the solid or liquid form
5. Remain in specific tissue in the body long enough to be effective
6. Kill the pathogens (an infection caused by micro-organisms) before
they mutate and become resistant to it.
Natural Antibiotics are usually obtained
from:
1) Fungi: Penicillin
2) Bacteria: Polymyxin-B, Bacitracin
3) Actinomycetes: Macrolides,
Tetracycline
Alexander Fleming predicted the
development of Antibiotic-resistant
bacteria. And today we face a major issue of
something that he had predicted years ago.

 Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest

threats to global health, food security, and
development today.
 Antibiotic resistance can affect anyone, of
any age, in any country.
  Antibiotic resistance occurs naturally, but misuse of antibiotics in humans
and animals is accelerating the process.
 A growing number of infections – such as pneumonia, tuberculosis,
gonorrhoea, and salmonellosis – are becoming harder to treat as the
antibiotics used to treat them become less effective.
 Antibiotic resistance leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs
and increased mortality.

Without urgent actions taken to kill these Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, we are

heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries
can once again be fatal.

Antibiotics revolutionized medicine in the 20th century. However, their

effectiveness and easy access have also led to their overuse, resulting in, some
bacteria developing resistance to Antibiotics. This has led to widespread
problems.

The World Health Organization has classified

antimicrobial resistance as a "serious threat, which is
no longer a prediction for the future, it is happening
right now in every region of the world and has the
potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country".

Because of antibiotic overuse, certain bacteria have

become resistant to even the most
powerful antibiotics available today.

Antibiotic overuse is when: -

1. Antibiotics are given when not needed

2. Continued when not needed
3. Given at a wrong dosage
4. The wrong antibiotic is given to treat an
infection.
5. Broad-spectrum agents are used to treating very susceptible bacteria.

It is predicted that if a solution to this problem is not found with a few years, by
2050, a million people would be dying from Antibiotic resistance, every year.

Antibiotics changed the

world, by saving
millions of lives. It
played a huge role in
the world war I and
world war II. And today
it may be harming our
society, so one should always take subsequent measures before using
any Antibiotics and stop Antibiotic Abuse.

Solution to Antibiotic Resistance

New research in Melbourne, Australia claims to have

theorised to the solution to this problem, by using an
antiseptic, which was being used in the World war I.
A coal tar-derived acriflavine activates the immune
system – even going so far as to offer protection
against the common cold
“We have shown for the first time that Acriflavine
binding to cellular DNA could activate the host
immune system, unleashing a powerful immune
response on a potentially broad range of bacteria,”
said by a representative of Hudson Institute
Acriflavine was identified by a German scientist in
1912. Which was then used to treat everything from
gonorrhoea to urinary infections, in the great war, before being supplanted by
penicillin.
The effect of this antiseptic is two-fold – acriflavine directly affects the bacteria,
and then you get the activation of the immune system through the ‘STING’
pathway, which helps to clear the infection.
Their study indicates that acriflavine stimulates the host immune system, rather
than simply killing bacteria, suggesting it wouldn’t be as likely to drive mutations
in bacteria – showing a safeguard against resistance and a potential alternative to
current antibacterial drugs.
The success of penicillin in treating bacterial infections ensured that other
research groups continued to search and test for new antimicrobial drugs. This
hunt continues today and is becoming increasingly important amid the new
challenges of antibiotic resistance of some bacteria.

Advik Bahadur