SCIENTIST URGES THAT N.Z. MAKE PENICILLIN

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 215, 11 September 1944, Page 4

SCIENTIST URGES THAT N.Z. MAKE PENICILLIN

PRELIMINARY work in the study * of high-producing strains.of penicillium notatum—the culture from which the amazingly successful drug penicillin is produced—is now being carried out at the Plant Diseases Research Station at Mount Albert, Auckland, by Dr. G. H. Cunningham, director of the station, and by Dr. T. R. Vernon, who was formerly attached to the staff of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research as industrial microbiologist. Further work awaus trie arrival here of certain equipment which will allow the manufacture of the drug on a scale sufficiently large to permit extended laboratory testing. Both these developments are the result of a recent visit to England and America of Dr. E. Marsden, secretary to the D.5.1.R., who had the opportunity of discussing the subject with leading authorities and of observing modern methods of manufacture. He brought the cultures back with him and made arrangements also for procuring the necessary apparatus. The work is likely to be given a further impetus in the near future by the expected arrival here of Professor Sir Howard Florey, who, with the assistance of a team of scientists, was responsible for developing the preparation of penicillin for medicinal purposes after its original discovery by Professor Sir Alexander Fleming. Professor Florey is at present in Australia. Imperative Scale Xeeds As the result of study already permitted here and the great possibilities he sees in the drug, not only in its relation to human medicinal needs but in the treatment of animal and plant diseases, Dr. Vernon is of the opinion that the manufacture of the drug in New Zealand on a large scale is imperative. He urges that the question is a national one and that, at the earliest possible moment, the Government should send scientists overseas to study closely the most modern methods of manufacture, as a preliminai - y to the obtaining of sufficient plant for its production here. "From every angle," he declared, "the manufacture of penicillin in New Zealand appears a wise and prudent measure. The new field of research in these micro-biological antibiotics (a chemical substance produced by an organism which is capable of stopping the growth of another organism) is of such great potential value to New Zealand that it simply cannot be neglected. The ■work at Mount Albert is a useful beginning, but New Zealand cannot be satisfied until it is fully equipped to manufacture on a useful scale and to carry out investigations into this amazing field." After referring to penicillin as "a most powerful weapon to combat the ravages of war, because of its powers in the prevention of sepsis in wounds," Dr. Vernon urged that science was on the verge of great discoveries.

"A new field is being opened up," he said, "and the potentialities are enormous. No one can foresee, the new weapons to combat disease that may come from research into the antibiotic substances of microbiological origin (from moulds, bacteria and algae). Already many new substances are being investigated, and it may not be long before names such as chlorellin, patullin, tyrothricin and others may be as well known as penicillin."

Fighting Animal, riant Diseases

Dr. Vernon said it was a matter of supreme importance to New Zealand as a primary producing country that the field was not confined to human disease. Penicillin and other antibiotics had already been shown to be effective against animal diseases, and certain Russian investigators had demonstrated that we might find a new means of controlling plant diseases in these antibiotic substances.

When it was suggested to Dr. Vernon that synthetic production 'of penicillin, claimed by a recent cable to be successfully achieved, might offer the best field for New Zealand interest from the point of view of manufacture, he pointed out that, even if the report were true, it might be years before it became a commercial possibility. The biological method of manufacture was possible as soon as we could get the necessary apparatus, and at the same time research work of vital importance to the Dominion could be carried out. "Seldom has science had such a field opened for research," said Dr. Vernon. '.'The Dominion cannot afford to neglect this opportunity, and it is vital thai we are equipped to work in this field and to take advanat the earliest moment, of new discoveries that may be made." He stressed that penicillin was only four yearn old and that though knowledge of its uses had advanced rapidly there was tjtill much to learn. New uses would undoubtedly be found. Of all the virtues of peni-

cillin the most amazing was its powers against venereal disease. The results in this field had been little short of miraculous. "Salvarsan and the suipiia drugs, effective as they are, are like muzzle-loaders to a tommy-gun compared with penicillin," he said. Quoting a recent report that 99 per cent of 1750 cases of sulphonomide-resistant gonorrhea had been cured by penicillin treatment, Dr. Vernon added that from a national viewpoiot penicillin was the best weapon we could have to wipe out this social menace. Dr. Vernon pointed out that the groups of bacteria against which, penicillin was particularly effective were common causes of animal diseases. To date little had been heard of the use of penicillin in this field, but this was an inevitable outcome of the fact that penicillin supplies had not been available for research into its animal disease potentialities, owing to their demand in the medical field. "Reports are now coming to hand on the use of penicillin for animal infections," he said, "and they open a field of particular significance to New Zealand. Mastitis, or mammitis, probably the most important single factor limiting our dairy output, is said to respond amazingly to penicillin treatment. New Zealand is a dairying country and it must have penicillin." For animal work, he said, a , crude form of penicillin was said to be effective. Other experiments with injections of the mould itself had proved successful, while good results had also been obtained by surface applications. Surface applications of other antibiotics such as tyrothricin had also been effective against mastitis. Arguing that it was a national necessity that New Zealand should manufacture at least part of its own supplies rather than rely entirely on overseas sources, Dr. Vernon pointed out that, although a good deal had been heard of supplies from America and of manufacture in Australia, the little penicillin available in New Zealand was extremely expensive and had to be reserved for the most serious cases. A single recent case required penicillin to the value of £60. Large quantities were required at times for individual cases because it was excreted so quickly that it had to be injected every few hours. A million units would go nowhere with some cases, and with the wheat bran method of culture that would require about 201b of bran to produce.

Ijarge Supplies Needed "Penicillin should not be reserved for desperate cases only," said Dr. Vernon. "It should be available for all cases likely to benefit, from pneumonia to a common boil, and for children enduring the pain and discomfort of impetigo. Particularly, it should not be withheld until cases are well advanced. Its preventive potentialities in suspected cases are enormous. One of its greatest benefits will come from early treatment. "For animal diseases penicillin will undoubtedly be in great demand—a demand that will more than tax world supply," he went on. "Unless we manufacture the New Zealand farmer will have to wait until the needs of English, American and Australian farmers are satisfied. The New Zealand farmer deserves more than left-overs. Again, penicillin deteriorates with age. The difficulties of estimating requirements and of ordering the necessary quantities of a perishable product and, at the same time, avoiding waste are obvious. Local manufacture is the only solution." From the financial aspect manufacture in New Zealand was sound, he stressed. If New Zealand relied entirely on overseas sources of supply it would mean a constant and considerable drain on overseas funds, and there would be no guarantee the amount required would be available when it was wanted. Equally important as all these factors was the necessity for the constant research that would accompany manufacture. There were 600-odd species established, all of which might produce something valuable.