Immunotherapeutics & Novel Therapies

Discovery of Antibiotics

In the 1920s, British scientist Alexander Fleming was working in his laboratory at St. Mary's Hospital in London when almost by accident; he discovered a naturally growing substance that could attack certain bacteria. Selman Abraham Waksman (1888-1973) was born in the rural Ukrainian town of Novaya Priluka. The town and its nearby villages were surrounded by a rich black soil that supported abundant agricultural life Penicillin is the most widely prescribed of all antibiotics, usually in the form of amoxicillin. Antibiotic class defines a set of related antibiotics. State-level rates of penicillins, macrolides, cephalosporins, and fluoroquinolones are displayed. Also displayed are all antibiotic classes, which include these four classes plus additional classes not available for release at the state level