Immunomodulatory Effects of Some Antibiotic-Induced Changes in Bacterial and Host Determinants

Abstract

More than 3,000 years ago, ancient peoples stumbled on the discovery that some molds could cure some diseases. The Egyptians, the Chinese, and Indians of Central America used molds to treat rashes and infected wounds. But it was not until the summer of 1928 that Sir Alexander Fleming grasped the meaning and possible significance of a small mishap in his laboratory. Fleming noted that bacteria growing in culture in the vicinity of a contaminating mold were lysed. Originally classified as Penicillium rubrum, the mold was later shown by Thorn, an outstanding American mycologist, to be Penicillium notatum. A decade later, a group at Oxford led by Florey and Chain isolated a crude preparation of the bactericidal agent from cultures of Penicillium notatum, and subsequently demonstrated the dramatic effect of this component on a variety of bacterial infections.