TUBERCULOSIS October 19, 1943: The Discovery of Streptomycin – A Milestone in the Treatment of Tuberculosis and Other Serious Diseases | SM Day News Information

On October 19, 1943, a team of researchers at Rutgers University isolated streptomycin, a revolutionary antibiotic that would be the first to cure tuberculosis, an infectious disease that was ravaging the world at the time. . The discovery of streptomycin, an antibiotic of the aminoglycoside class, marked a milestone in medicine, saving millions of lives and paving the way for more effective treatment of bacterial infections.

Streptomycin and its therapeutic role
Streptomycin is an antibiotic with bactericidal activity that works mainly on Gram-negative bacteria. It has been used in the treatment of many serious bacterial infections, including:

Tuberculosis – Streptomycin has usually been used in combination with other antituberculosis drugs such as isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide. These drugs are taken together to prevent the development of resistance to bacteria, which is a major problem in the treatment of tuberculosis.
Tularemia – A rare but very serious disease, also known as “rabbit fever”, which can affect the skin, eyes, lymph nodes and lungs.
Plague – Streptomycin has also been used to combat the plague, a devastating disease that has caused deadly pandemics throughout human history.
brucellosis – A disease caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella, which is usually transmitted from animals to humans.
Endococcal endocarditis – a serious disease that affects the heart and requires aggressive antibiotic treatment to prevent complications.

Additional administration methods and practices
Streptomycin can be given in several ways, depending on the type and condition of the disease:

Topical administration – In the form of eye drops, streptomycin can be used to treat bacterial eye infections.
Intravenous and intramuscular administration – These methods are used for severe systemic diseases, such as tuberculosis or endocarditis.
Over time, the use of streptomycin has expanded, and is still being used, especially in the treatment of cases resistant to other antibiotics. It is also an essential medicine on the World Health Organization (WHO) list because of its role in fighting diseases that still affect a large part of the world’s population.

The global impact of the discovery of streptomycin
The isolation of streptomycin made a cure and saved lives around the world, especially in the post-war period when tuberculosis was still a major public health problem. Before this discovery, tuberculosis treatment was limited and ineffective, often relying on isolating patients in sanitariums, where they were often left to die in squalid conditions. Streptomycin changed this reality significantly, giving a real chance for a cure.

Streptomycin also played an important role in the development of later antibiotics. Research initiated by Rutgers University scientists paved the way for the discovery of other aminoglycoside antibiotics and the development of modern medicine.

Streptomycin remains a landmark in medical history, not only for treating tuberculosis, but also for its role in fighting other serious bacterial infections. Although there are many newer and more specialized antibiotics today, streptomycin remains an essential drug in the therapeutic arsenal, symbolizing the power of scientific research and its profound impact on public health worldwide.

Therefore, October 19, 1943 is marked as a special moment in the fight against infectious diseases, a big step in saving lives and improving the quality of life of people around the world.