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The newsletter shall include at least 6 sections about the following subjects:
Why you chose this event
The science behind the discovery
Describe the discovery
Groundbreaking Scientific Times
Kacey Van Duzer: Powerful Penicillin
May 27, 1931
The Powerful Penicillin
By Kacey Van Duzer
Section 1(why I chose event)
I chose this event because it shocked me that the first
antibiotic hasn’t even been around for a hundred years.
Antibiotics save so many people’s lives. Sometimes
when we get sick we get antibiotics. We take them and
we live and we are all good. This wasn’t the case before
the 1930s. People would injure themselves doing
day-to-day tasks and develop infections and sometimes
pass away. Antibiotics fight those infections and kill
harmful bacteria. Since people didn’t have antibiotics
they would have to hope their immune system would
fight off the harmful bacteria. Penicillin is a powerful
drug that helps keep people alive.
Alexander Fleming in his lab
working on the production of
Penicillin
Penicillin’s Odd Discovery
How did Fleming do it?
Section 3(describe discovery)
This is no normal story for such an amazing discovery.
Alexander Fleming in 1928 was the first to discover the
antibiotic Penicillin. Fleming took a summer vacation to
Scotland, when he returned to his lab in London he found mold
in his Petri dish. Before he left, the petri dish contained
bacteria in them. The mold was penicillium which stopped all
the bacteria from growing in the petri dish. He accidentally
grew mold that developed into the first antibiotic. Fleming was
a bacteriologist
Original Bottle of Penicillin
Penicillin Discovery Word Search
What This Discovery Means for Us
Consequences on Humanity
Section 4(consequences on humanity)
Penicillium Mold in Petri Dish
“Miracle Drug”
Science Behind it
Section 2(science behind discovery)
Interview with Alexander Fleming and the Science Behind
the Discovery
Interview questions by Kacey Van Duzer
1. How does the drug itself work?
Penicillin works by indirectly bursting the cell walls of bacteria.
(Newman, 2018).
2. What can Penicillin be used for?
There a number of things penicillin can be used to treat. I
found that illnesses like open wounds, meningitis, strep throat,
pneumonia, syphilis, gonorrhea, etc. all do well with penicillin.
We’re still finding new illnesses that can be treated with
penicillin every day.
3. How did you discover Penicillin?
Everyone loves this story. I was returning back to my lab in
Europe after summer vacation. I had left Petri dishes near the
window containing the bacteria, Staphylococcus. When I got
back the Petri dishes were covered in a mold called
Penicillium. I noticed the bacteria were unable to grow
because of the mold. So I discovered an antibiotic. (Newman,
2018).
4. Is there anything people would be surprised to learn
about Penicillin?
I may have discovered Penicillin but it took a team of scientists
to actually make the drug happen and useable. Penicillin is a
class and is associated with a few other antibiotics.
5. Are there any side effects that occur when people
take Penicillin?
Yes, just like every other drug there can be side effects. The
most common ones that I hear of are headaches, nausea,
rash, hives, and diarrhea. Everyone reacts differently to drugs.
6. Do you have any concerns about the drug?
The overuse of it, “their life-saving potential has led to
overuse, and now bacteria are learning to overcome the
medicines, making antibiotics less effective by the day.
(Wighton, 2018)”
Section 5(consequences on environment)
What This Discovery Means for the
Environment
By Kacey Van Duzer
Interesting “did you know” Facts About Antibiotics Effects on the
Environment
● Did you know there was such thing as antibiotic resistance pollution?
It affects microbiomes in our environment and humans
● Did you know antibiotics like Penicillin create “superbugs”
Antibiotic pollution in water
● Did you know “antibiotic use is also rising in aquaculture, the
fastest-growing food sector worldwide due to intensive farming. For
this reason, antibiotics of pharmaceutical origin are now found in
large quantities in human-made environments such as sewage and
wastewater treatment plants. (Kraemer, 2021).”
● Did you know hospitals and land agriculture produce antibiotic waste
that creates “hotspots” for antibiotic resistance
● Did you know “antibiotic pollution has also been observed to have
negative effects on vertebrates. The effect of antibiotic pollution is
thought to be especially strong in aquatic environments where
animals are chronically exposed to the pollutants. (Kraemer, 2021).”
Section 6(my thoughts)
Authors Thoughts
Opinion Piece by Kacey Van Duzer
In my opinion
Antiobiotics like Penicillin are not bad drugs. Like all drugs, they have side
effects. Unfortunately, these drugs do threaten people who use them for minor
medical uses. People need to be careful when taking antibiotics because we can
build immunity to them and they can become ineffective. Doctors can’t hand out
antibiotics for every illness. Alexander Fleming for sure changed the world of
medicine. He saved many lives in WWII with antibiotics. Our world needs
antibiotics to save lives. I grew to admire Fleming while doing this project. In an
article, “he would say: “When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I
certainly didn’t plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world’s first
antibiotic, or bacteria killer. But I suppose that was exactly what I did.”(Tan, 2015)”
He changed medicine with his discovery and saved many lives. He was a humble
scientist and knew his discovery was an accident. He always knew that bacteria
would beat antibiotics and made sure to warn doctors. Luckily were at a point
where there are several different kinds of antibiotics. People who desperately
need them can take them.
References
Kraemer, S. A., Ramachandran, A., & Perron, G. G. (2019, June 22). Antibiotic Pollution in the Environment: From Microbial Ecology to Public
Microorganisms. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6616856/.
Newman, T. (2018, July). MediLexicon International. (n.d.). Penicillin: Function, history, and resistance. Medical News Today.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/216798#history.
Tan, S. Y., & Tatsumura, Y. (2015, July). Alexander Fleming (1881-1955): Discoverer of penicillin. Singapore medical journal.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4520913/.
