If penicillin became the pinnacle antibiotic why are many of us now allergic?

Question

Many people now are allergic to it, well I say many but I know a fair few who are.

How did it become the pinnacle antibiotic but yet cause some of us issues now

In: 0

Answer 1

Penicillin is not the “pinnacle” antibiotic at all. It was the first one discovered. Since then thousands more have been created, most of which are better for at least a few types of infection.

And all allergies have the same root cause: some molecule is similar enough in structure to a molecule we use in our own body that our immune system gets “confused” and attacks us thinking it is attacking invaders.