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A Newsletter Exploring Science
& Biomedical Research Issues
For School Educators
Volume 1, Issue 11, Winter 2006

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Antibiotics

By Alan P. Brown, Ph.D., DABT

Did You Know?

The modern age of antibiotics began at the beginning of the 20th century with the use of arsphenamine (trade name of Salvarsan) for the treatment of syphilis. Arsphenamine is an arsenic-containing drug discovered by Dr. Paul Ehrlich and his Japanese associate, Sachachio Hata, and was given as an injection. Prior to the discovery of

Dr. Paul Ehrlich
Father of Chemotherapy

arsphenamine, there was no treatment for syphilis, a venereal disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum that produced epidemics for centuries. Late-stage syphilis damages the brain and central nervous system, resulting in general paralysis and insanity. In addition to his discovery of arsphenamine, Dr. Ehrlich had previously received the Nobel Prize in 1908 for his role in developing a horse serum antitoxin for treating diphtheria. Dr. Ehrlich is regarded as the father of chemotherapy, which he described as "the use of drugs to injure an invading organism without injury to the host."

Medical Milestones in Michigan

In April 2000, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the use of linezolid (trade name of Zyvox) as an antibacterial drug for the treatment of serious bacterial infections. Linezolid represented the first new class of antibacterial agent to be approved by FDA in over 30 years and was discovered and developed by the Pharmacia- Upjohn Corporation in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Linezolid is known as an oxazolidinone drug and inhibits bacterial protein synthesis as its mechanism of action. Linezolid has significant activity against Gram-positive bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia, and is used for treating bacterial pneumonia, and skin and skin structure infections. Linezolid.s pharmaceutical properties allows it to be given both orally as tablets and intravenously in a hospital setting.

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For more information regarding the discovery of linezolid, see the following:

• Ford CW, Zurenko GE, Barbachyn MR. The discovery of linezolid, the first oxazolidinone antibacterial agent. Current Drug Targets - Infectious Disorders 2001(1):181-199.
• Norrby R. Linezolid - a review of the first oxazolidinone. Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy 2001; 2(2):293-302.

The Role of Animals in Antibiotic Research

In a research program designed to discover new antibiotics, chemists produce a multitude of new chemicals that are initially tested in vitro (i.e, outside of a whole animal) for activity against bacterial pathogens. These bacterial pathogens can be grown in agar or broth and exposed to a test chemical for evaluating the potential of the chemical to kill the bacteria. These tests are very useful for determining susceptibility of bacterial species or strains to a test chemical or drug,

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