The Effects of Variations of Penicillin on Lactobacillus acidophilus

Penicillin was originally discovered in mold, and medical penicillin is still extracted from mold. In an effort to make penicillin, bread and oranges were allowed to grow mold, which was then extracted and tested for effectiveness against the Gram positive bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus, cultured in buttermilk. The orange-mold extract appeared to reduce L. acidophilus growth, as evidenced by inhibiting the pH decrease and viscosity increase in L. acidophilus culture to a degree similar to medical-grade penicillin. The bread-mold extract was not effective against L. acidophilus. These results suggest that an effective penicillin-type antibiotic can be made from naturally occurring mold