Abstract
Serendipity is common to many landmark discoveries that have shaped antibacterial chemotherapy; however the old adage that ‘luck favors the prepared mind’ has been an integral part of this progress. The development of the ß-lactam antibiotics is a testimony in this regard. The true discovery of the ß-lactam antibiotics occurred in 1928 when Fleming observed lysis and inhibition of growth of a bacterial culture due to the presence of a contaminating mold. While this finding was indeed fortuitous, it was the keen insight of Florey, Chain and other researchers who subsequently investigated thisphenomena, that led to one of the most successful endeavors in all of infectious disease chemotherapy.
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Further reading
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Dax, S.L. (1997). ß-Lactam antibiotics. In: Antibacterial Chemotherapeutic Agents. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0097-4_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0097-4_3
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