A Review on Penicillin: History, Mechanisms of Action, Bacterial Resistant and Penicillin Allergy

Abstract

Penicillin is the first antibiotic drug that was discovered and introduced by Fleming to treat various kinds of diseases. Fleming followed by many scientists carried out experiment to extract material that may have antibiotic properties in order to discover other antibiotics and some scientists also did extensive research on penicillin. Since its discovery, it is the choice of the drug for various infectious diseases and widely used due to its efficacy and stability, however, extensive use also caused bacterial resistance as many microorganisms become resistant to penicillin. To overcome the resistance and enhance the bacterial spectrum, various kinds of semisynthetic penicillin were discovered and introduced to treat those infections caused by resistant microbes and the least effective microbes by penicillin. Penicillin group is well known for its mechanisms of action as it interferes with the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall of growing microbes ultimately killing them so for called bactericidal. Even today, penicillin is being considered as a highly effective and most prescribed drug throughout the world but penicillin allergy is one of the major issues when using penicillin. The aim of the present paper is to review the history, mechanisms of action, bacterial resistance and penicillin allergy.