Alexander Fleming and Penicillin: The Accidental Discovery

When did Fleming publish his penicillin discovery?

1929

How did Florey and Chain test penicillin?

8 mice were injected with lethal doses of streptococci and the ones injected with penicillin survived. They then tested it on a police officer who cut himself shaving and had bacterial sepsis. He recovered. The rest of their test subjects were children because they required less penicillin than adults. Almost all were cured.

Who was Joseph Lister?

A scottish surgeon

Who was Dr.Cecil Paine and what was his significance?

A student of Fleming. He was the first to use penicillin as medicine when he used the crude extract to treat the lacerated eye of a miner. His eye was saved.

What did Fleming believe to be the key to stopping infection?

Amplify the body's immune response using lysosomes

What did Sir Almroth Wright discover?

Anti-typhoid vaccine in 1896

How did Dr.Howard Florey and Ernst Chain become interested in penicillin?

Dr.Florey heard about the miner from Paine even though he never published. He persuaded Chain to join his team.

What did the head of the USDA research laboratory suggest to Florey to assist with the mass production of Penicillin

Fermentation would make the drug more effective and convenient.

What did Fleming accidentally discover inhibited staph infections?

Fleming discovered that his own nasal mucous inhibited staph infection bacteria growth.

Who was an expert at administering salvarsan?

Fleming was an expert at administering salvarsan and had published on the topic.

Where did Wright and Fleming go to assist in treatments?

France, WW1. They discovered there was no effective treatment for most infections

What did Lister believe to cause infections and how did he propose he treat it?

He believed germs caused infections and proposed the use of chemical antiseptics to treat them.

What shortfalls did Fleming face in regard to Penicillin usage?

He only thought of penicillin as a topical agent, not an injectable agent.

What was the general trend of lifespans from the 1770 to the current?

In general, lifespans have increased substantially since the 1770's. 1770-1900, the average lifespan was about 30. Then average lifespans began to increase for all countries. Less developed continents consistently have a lower lifespan than more developed continents.

What were the important characteristics of Penicillin?

It was an antibacterial substance, was more powerful than lysosomes, and could be diluted 100 times and still effectively kill bacteria

What does Salvarsan treat?

Syphilis. St. Mary's was one of the first hospitals to use it to treat syphilis.

What award did Fleming, Florey, and Chain receive?

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1945

What did Fleming discover after his plates became contaminated with a fungus?

The bacteria growing on the plate avoided the fungus, creating an inhibition zone.

What setback did Fleming face with this discovery?

The bacteria mus susceptible to the lysosome weren't as infectious to people.

What did Florey and Chain discover?

They discovered that penicillin was not an enzyme, but a molecule. It was also very unstable after 8 days, so they freeze dried it to stabilize it.

What is inoculation?

inducing immunity against various infectious diseases. (Vaccination, immunization, etc)

What was Alexander Fleming's job at St. Mary's hospital?

research assistant at the inoculation department

What substances did Fleming discover inhibit bacteria growth?

tears, mucous, and egg whites contain lysosomes that interfere with the bacteria growth.

What country began mass production of penicillin?

Britain began mass producing penicillin in many small production factories to reduce the risk of them being bombed by the Germans.

What type of mold did Fleming discover on his plates?

Penicillium notatum

What would happen to people prior to the creation of antibiotics?

People could die of any small cut due to infection. Physicians relied on the pt's immune system to attack the infection.

What was Lister's approach to wound care?

Use cabolic acid to kill germs and prevent infection after surgery. Also proposed cabolic acid could be used on wounds.

What were the pneumonia death rates before and after the introduction of penicillin in the world wars?

World war 1: 18% died from pneumonia. World War 2: 1% died from pneumonia

Why did Fleming and Wright disagree with this method?

although antiseptics kill bacteria, they also kill leukocytes of the immune system more rapidly than they kill invading bacteria