The antibiotic penicillin was accidentally discovered on a mold-contaminated culture place of bacteria by…?
A. Fleming
B. Dubos
C. Jenner
D. Pasteur
E. Ehrlich
The correct answer is (A) Fleming.
In 1928, while working on influenza virus, Sir Alexander Fleming observed that mold had developed accidentally on a staphylococcus culture plate and that the mold had created a bacteria-free circle around itself. He was inspired to further experiment and he found that a mold culture prevented growth of staphylococci, even when diluted 800 times. He named the active substance penicillin.
