This course will not be all inclusive, rather we will only explore the antibiotics we commonly use in dentistry.
History
In the 1920s thru the 1930s bacterial infections from staphylococcal and streptococcal infections were large killers along with pneumococcal and tubercular infections. Even small scratches could be very deadly. Tubercular infections were treated by isolating the patients in sanitarium and then waited to see if the patient recovered or died. There was no cure until November 20th, 1944 when streptomycin was introduced by the Mayo Clinic. Today we use isoniazid, an antibiotic that stops the growth of bacteria.
Penicillin was first discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. He was experimenting with a staphylococcal bacterium and discovered the mold that had accumulated on his petri dish filled with the bacteria had an effect on it. He isolated the mold and identified it as a member of the Penicillium genus and called it penicillin. Later, he discovered it was not the mold but the juice the mold produced.
He found it difficult to produce....