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Penicillin
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Penicillin was the first important commercial product produced by an aerobic, submerged fermentation. Acetone-butanol, which was a major product produced during and after World War 1, was produced in an anaerobic system and did not pose the oxygen transfer and heat transfer problems of the penicillin fermentation. In the 1930s, citric acid was produced by aerobic fermentation, but by surface fermentation in shallow trays and not by submerged fermentation in agitated deep tanks.
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Penicillin is a common antibiotic, used to treat bacterial infections. Penicillin was discovered by Scottish scientist Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928. It was not mass-produced until the 1940s.... Penicillin is sometimes used to treat syphilis, tonsilitis, meningitis, and pneumonia as well as other diseases. It was commonly used during World War 2.
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Penicillin has an interesting mode of action: it prevents the cross-linking of small peptide chains in peptidoglycan, the main wall polymer of bacteria. Pre-existing cells are unaffected, but all newly produced cells grow abnormally, unable to maintain their wall rigidity, and they are susceptible to osmotic lysis.
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SIDE EFFECTS: Penicillin generally is well tolerated. Between 1% and 10% of all people are allergic to penicillin. Allergic reactions range from a mild rash to moderate-to-severe hives to severe anaphylactic shock. (In anaphylactic shock, the windpipe swells so that breathing is difficult and the blood pressure falls greatly. Anaphylactic shock is a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate treatment.) Anaphylactic shock occurs in approximately 1 in 3,000 persons who are exposed to penicillin; death occurs in approximately 1 in 50,000 persons who are exposed to penicillin. Persons who are allergic to other penicillin products (such as ampicillin or amoxicillin) are generally considered to be allergic to penicillin as well.
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Penicillin, once it is taken orally, spreads throughout the body. It is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract to the plasma (the bloodstream). Once it has reached the plasma, it is distributed throughout the body. Penicillin can be inactivated in three ways: protein binding, metabolism, or excretion. The liver metabolizes penicillin into an inactive compound which is excreted. Large proteins which are normally circulating in the plasma can bind to penicillin and inactivate it. Penicillin is ... filtered out of the body through the kidneys.
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Penicillin G was first discovered by the French Medical student Ernest Duchesne in 1896. Due to its instability, chemists of the time were unable to produce the drug for any use. As a result, penicillin was not extensively researched until Alexander Fleming began working with penicillin in 1928. Fifteen years later, the drug was mass produced. Penicillin G is derived from the fungus Penicilliumchrysogenum. In nature, the fungus produces this antibiotic when its food resources are limited in order to kill surrounding bacteria.
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Penicillin