Streptomycin, an tuberculosis curing antibiotic, was the next advancement after penicillin. Scientist Selman Waksman was researching a strain of soil-dwelling microorganisms called Actinomyces and bacteria killing substances. In 1943, Waksman and his team discovered two strains of Actinomyces called Streptomyces, finding that the substances produced were effective in fighting lethal bacterial diseases. Streptomyces research progressed rapidly because of previous experience with penicillin; taking just three years for U.S. drug companies to produce it in bulk.
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