Many of our medicines today originate from the molecules made in nature. How does the purity of penicillin prepared in a laboratory compare with the fermented materials used in 1000 bce?
Answers
During World War II, the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom approached the largest U.S. chemical and pharmaceutical companies to enlist them in the race to mass produce penicillin, the “wonder drug.” One of these companies, Pfizer, succeeded in producing large quantities of penicillin using deep-tank fermentation. Its success helped make penicillin available to Allied soldiers by the end of the war.
Contents
The Penicillin Problem
Pfizer’s Growth with Citric Acid and Fermentation
Development of Deep-tank Fermentation
Penicillin Production by Deep-tank Fermentation
Further Reading
Landmark Designation and Acknowledgments
Cite this Page
The Penicillin Problem
The story of Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin has been told often. Fleming was already well known for his earlier work on staphylococci when, upon returning from a long holiday in September 1928, he noted that one petri dish contained colonies of Staphyloccus except for clear area contaminated with a fungus that appeared to inhibit bacterial growth. Fleming identified the contaminant as a strain of Penicillium and he found that it killed a host of Gram-positive bacteria, including those that caused scarlet fever, pneumonia, gonorrhea, meningitis and diphtheria.
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