Question

Arrange the agents from oldest to newest in relation to the date of the discovery as anti-microbials:
(A) Sulphonamides
(B) Penicillins
(C) Quinolones
(D) Cephalosporins
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. (A), (B), (D), (C).
• B. (B), (A), (D), (C).
• C. (B), (A), (C), (D).
• D. (C), (B), (D), (A).

Hint:

Remember that Fleming discovered Penicillin first in 1928, followed closely by Domagk's discovery of Prontosil (the first Sulphonamide) in 1932. This places (B) before (A) in any timeline.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The history of antimicrobial discovery is a key topic in pharmacology, tracing when different classes of life-saving antibiotics were first identified and isolated.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us review the historical discovery dates for each antimicrobial class:
1. Penicillins (B): Discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming at St. Mary's Hospital in London when he observed that the mold Penicillium notatum inhibited the growth of staphylococci. This is the oldest discovery among the options.
2. Sulphonamides (A): Discovered in 1932 by Gerhard Domagk, who found that a red azo dye named Prontosil had antibacterial activity in mice. The active component was later identified as sulfanilamide. This is the second oldest.
3. Cephalosporins (D): First isolated in 1945 by Giuseppe Brotzu from active cultures of Cephalosporium acremonium found in a sewer outlet in Sardinia. This is the third oldest.
4. Quinolones (C): Discovered in 1962 when George Lesher and his colleagues isolated nalidixic acid (the first quinolone) as an accidental byproduct during the synthesis of chloroquine. This is the newest discovery among the options.
Therefore, arranging these classes from oldest to newest yields: Penicillins (B) $\rightarrow$ Sulphonamides (A) $\rightarrow$ Cephalosporins (D) $\rightarrow$ Quinolones (C).

Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct chronological order is (B), (A), (D), (C), which corresponds to option (B).