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Origins of antibiotics -

Antibiotics are older than you think. The Egyptian medical papyrus of herbal knowledge known as the Ebers Papyrus from 1550 BCE is the oldest preserved medical document. It includes medicinal soil amongst its list of remedies.

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Treating infection -

History also records the ancient Greeks using specially selected mold and plant materials to treat infections.

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Hippocrates -

Greek physician Hippocrates, known as the "father of medicine," routinely used agents with antimicrobial properties such as myrrh and inorganic salts in his treatment of infected wounds.

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Ancient Egyptian methodology -

And taking a leaf out of Greek medical knowledge, the ancient Egyptians also treated infected wounds with moldy bread and various plant materials.

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Medicinal folklore -

Treatments for infections during the medieval era were based primarily on medicinal folklore, the results of which varied widely.

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First clinical use -

The first clinical use of an antibiotic was reported in the 1890s, when German bacteriologists Rudolph Emmerich (pictured) and Oscar Löw used an extract of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (then known as Bacillus pycyaneus) to treat hundreds of patients in hospitals. Pycyaneus is no longer used today.

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Early pioneers -

An early pioneer in the development of modern-day antibiotics was German physician Paul Ehrlich (1854–1915). In 1909, he discovered the antibiotic drug arsphenamine, originally marketed as salvarsan, the first effective medicinal treatment for syphilis.

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Alexander Fleming (1881–1955) -

The next significant step in the history of antibiotic development was the discovery in 1928 of penicillin by Scottish physician and microbiologist Alexander Fleming. This was the world's first broadly effective natural antibiotic substance.

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Further research -

Research undertaken by Jewish-Ukrainian biochemist and microbiologist Selman Waksman (1888–1973) into the decomposition of organisms living in soil enabled the discovery of streptomycin and several other antibiotics in the late 1930s.

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The "golden age" of antibiotics -

The late 1940s, '50s, and '60s are considered the "golden age" of antibiotics research and development. Actinomycete natural products, fungal natural products, and other bacterial products, as well as synthetic antibiotics, all reached the clinic throughout these two decades.

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So, what exactly are antibiotics? -

Antibiotics are powerful medications that treat certain infections by stopping bacteria from reproducing or by destroying the bacteria altogether.

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How are antibiotics made naturally? -

Antibiotics are produced in nature by soil bacteria and fungi. This gives the microbe an advantage when competing for food and water and other limited resources in a particular habitat, as the antibiotic kills off their competition. Penicillin, for example, is produced by a fungus.

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How are antibiotics manufactured? -

The simple answer is through fermentation. Industrial microbiology can be used to produce antibiotics via the process of fermentation, where the source microorganism is grown in large containers containing a liquid growth medium.

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When do we need antibiotics? -

Ordinarily, our immune system is able to fend off infection by killing harmful bacteria. Sometimes, however, the number of bacteria is excessive and the immune system is overwhelmed. That's when antibiotics prove their worth. 

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How do antibiotics work? -

There are different types of antibiotics, but they all work by blocking vital processes in bacteria.

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Bactericidal antibiotic -

A bactericidal antibiotic, such as penicillin, kills the bacteria by interfering with either the formation of the bacterial cell wall or its cell contents.

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Bacteriostatic antibiotic -

A bacteriostatic antibiotic stops bacteria from multiplying while not necessarily killing them.

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Antibiotics aren't always the answer -

Antibiotics do not work for viral infections such as colds and the flu, nor for most coughs.

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When not to use antibiotics -

Similarly, antibiotics are no longer routinely used to treat chest infections, ear infection in children, or sore throats.

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Side effects of antibiotics -

Taking antibiotics can cause side effects. These can include rash, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, or yeast infections. These side effects are usually mild and should pass once you finish your course of treatment.

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Allergic reaction to antibiotics -

Some people may develop an allergic reaction to antibiotics, especially penicillin. Adverse effects of the drug include a raised rash, or hives, swelling of the tongue or face, coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. You should always inform your doctor if you think you're allergic to antibiotics.

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Antibiotic resistance -

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a common phenomenon mainly caused by the overuse/misuse of antibiotics.

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Effects of overuse/misuse of antibiotics -

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of these medicines. Bacteria, not humans, become antibiotic-resistant.

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Harder to treat -

The upshot is these bacteria may infect humans, and the infections they cause are harder to treat than those caused by non-resistant bacteria.

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Less effective -

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a growing number of serious infections—such as pneumonia, tuberculosis (pictured), gonorrhea, and salmonellosis—are becoming harder to treat as the antibiotics used to combat them become less effective.

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Higher mortality rate -

Ultimately, warns WHO, antibiotic resistance leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs, and increased mortality.

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Grim statistic -

According to the CDC, about 23,000 Americans die from 17 antibiotic-resistant infections each year. But chemists are hoping new superantibiotics can help reduce this grim statistic.

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Vancomycin 3.0 -

One of the most powerful antibiotics available today is vancomycin—in use since 1958. But a new superantibiotic, vancomycin 3.0, said to be 25,000 times more powerful than its predecessors, is currently undergoing clinical trials, reports the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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The battle against infection continues -

If vancomycin 3.0 gets the green light, chemists working at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, California, believe the last line of defense against dangerous infections will become significantly stronger.

Sources: (National Library of Medicine) (Microbiology Society) (NHS) (WHO) (CDC) (Science) 

See also: How does a modern lifestyle impact the gut?

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