Tuberculosis: Used in combination with other antibiotics. For active tuberculosis it is often given together withisoniazid,rifampicin, andpyrazinamide.[4] It is not the first-line treatment, except in medically under-served populations where the cost of more expensive treatments is prohibitive. It may be useful in cases where resistance to other drugs is identified.[medical citation needed]
Tularemia infections have been treated mostly with streptomycin.[9]
Streptomycin is traditionally givenintramuscularly, and in many nations is only licensed to be administered intramuscularly, though in some regions the drug may also be administeredintravenously.[2]
Streptomycin is also used as a pesticide, to combat the growth of bacteria. Streptomycin controls bacterial diseases of certain fruit, vegetables, seed, and ornamental crops. A major use is in the control offireblight on apple and pear trees. As in medical applications, extensive use can be associated with the development of resistant strains. Streptomycin could potentially be used to controlcyanobacterial blooms in ornamental ponds and aquaria.[10] While some antibacterial antibiotics are inhibitory to certain eukaryotes, this seems not to be the case for streptomycin, especially in the case ofanti-fungal activity.[11]
When purifying protein from a biological extract, streptomycin sulfate is sometimes added as a means of removing nucleic acids and ribonuclear proteins. Since it binds to ribosomes and precipitates out of solution, it serves as a method for removing rRNA, mRNA, and even DNA if the extract is from a prokaryote.[13]
Common side effects includevertigo, vomiting, numbness of the face, fever, and rash. Fever and rashes may result from persistent use.[citation needed]
Use is not recommended during pregnancy.[3] Congenital deafness has been reported in children whose mothers received streptomycin during pregnancy.[3] Use appears to be okay whilebreastfeeding.[4]
Streptomycin functions as aprotein synthesis inhibitor. It binds to the small 16S rRNA of the 30S ribosomal subunit irreversibly, interfering with the binding offormyl-methionyl-tRNA to the 30S subunit.[16] This causes codon misreading, inhibition of protein synthesis, and ultimately death of the cell through mechanisms that are not well understood. Speculation indicates that the binding of the molecule to the 30S subunit interferes with 30S subunit association with themRNA strand. This results in an unstable ribosomal-mRNA complex, leading to premature stopping of protein synthesis, leading to cell death.[17] As human and bacteria both have ribosomes, streptomycin has significant side effects in humans. At low concentrations, however, streptomycin inhibits only bacterial growth.[18]
Streptomycin is an antibiotic that inhibits both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria,[19] and is therefore a useful broad-spectrum antibiotic.
Streptomycin was first isolated on October 19, 1943, byAlbert Schatz, a PhD student in the laboratory ofSelman Abraham Waksman atRutgers University in a research project funded byMerck and Co.[20][21] Waksman and his laboratory staff discovered several antibiotics, includingactinomycin,clavacin,streptothricin, streptomycin,grisein,neomycin,fradicin,candicidin, andcandidin. Of these, streptomycin and neomycin found extensive application in the treatment of numerous infectious diseases. Streptomycin was the firstantibiotic cure fortuberculosis (TB). In 1952 Waksman was the recipient of theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in recognition "for his discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic active against tuberculosis".[22] Waksman was later accused of playing down the role of Schatz who did the work under his supervision, claiming thatElizabeth Bugie had a more important role in its development.[23][24][25][26][27] Schatz sued both Dr. Waksman and the Rutgers Research and Endowment Foundation, wanting to be given credit as co-discover and to receive the royalties for the streptomycin.[28] By the end of the settlement, Waksman would receive a 10% royalty, while Schatz got 3% and compensation for his missed royalties.[29] The rest of the lab shared the remaining 7% of the royalties, in which Bugie received 0.2%.[citation needed]
Bugie was pursuing a master's degree in Waksman's lab at Rutgers University at this time. Prior to this, she received her bachelor's degree in microbiology at New Jersey College for Women.[28] Although Bugie was considered to be the second author on theProceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology paper, she was not listed on the patent submission.[28] Bugie's contributions to Waksman's lab were great. In addition to her work on streptomycin, she also helped develop other antimicrobial substances,[30] had two peer-reviewed publications,[31][32] and researched the use of antimicrobials against plant pathogens,[33] among several other important contributions to the scientific field, particularly in regard to microbiology.
A scientist at Rutger's University making a streptomycin assay.
The Rutgers team reported streptomycin in the medical literature in January 1944.[34] Within months they began working withWilliam Feldman andH. Corwin Hinshaw of theMayo Clinic with hopes of starting a human clinical trial of streptomycin in tuberculosis.[35]: 209–241 The difficulty at first was even producing enough streptomycin to do a trial, because the research laboratory methods of creating small batches had not yet beentranslated to commercial large-batch production. They managed to do an animal study in a few guinea pigs with just 10 grams of the scarce drug, demonstrating survival.[35]: 209–241 This was just enough evidence to get Merck & Co. to divert some resources from the young penicillin production program to start work toward streptomycin production.[35]: 209–241
At the end of World War II, the United States Army experimented with streptomycin to treat life-threatening infections at a military hospital inBattle Creek, Michigan. The first person who was treated with streptomycin did not survive; the second person survived but became blind as a side effect of the treatment. In March 1946, the third person—Robert J. Dole, later Majority Leader of the United States Senate and presidential nominee—experienced a rapid and robust recovery.[36]
The first randomized trial of streptomycin against pulmonary tuberculosis was carried out in 1946 through 1948 by theMRC Tuberculosis Research Unit under the chairmanship of Geoffrey Marshall (1887–1982). The trial was neitherdouble-blind norplacebo-controlled.[37] It is widely accepted to have been the first randomized curative trial.[38]
Results showed efficacy against TB, albeit with minor toxicity and acquired bacterialresistance to the drug.[37]
Because streptomycin was isolated from a microbe discovered on New Jersey soil, and because of its activity against tuberculosis and Gram negative organisms, and in recognition of both the microbe and the antibiotic in the history of New Jersey,S. griseus was nominated as the Official New Jerseystate microbe. The draft legislation was submitted by Senator Sam Thompson (R-12) in May 2017 as bill S3190 and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-20) in June 2017 as bill A31900. The bill was passed on 2018-01-08 The bill designates Streptomyces griseus as New Jersey State Microbe (New Jersey Senate Bill 3190 (2017). GovernorPhil Murphy signed the bill making it official in 2019.[39]
^abcdefghi"Streptomycin Sulfate". The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. RetrievedDecember 8, 2016.
^World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019. Geneva:World Health Organization. 2019.hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
^Syal K, Srinivasan A, Banerjee D (January 2013). "Streptomycin interference in Jaffe reaction - possible false positive creatinine estimation in excessive dose exposure".Clinical Biochemistry.46 (1–2):177–179.doi:10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2012.10.031.PMID23123914.
^Schantz JT, Ng KW (2004).A manual for primary human cell culture. World Scientific. p. 89.
^Comroe JH (April 1978). "Pay dirt: the story of streptomycin. Part I. From Waksman to Waksman".The American Review of Respiratory Disease.117 (4):773–781.doi:10.1164/arrd.1978.117.4.773 (inactive July 12, 2025).PMID417651.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
^Kingston W (July 2004). "Streptomycin, Schatz v. Waksman, and the balance of credit for discovery".Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences.59 (3):441–462.doi:10.1093/jhmas/jrh091.PMID15270337.S2CID27465970.
^Wainwright M (1991). "Streptomycin: discovery and resultant controversy".History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences.13 (1):97–124.PMID1882032.
^Kingston W (July 2004). "Streptomycin, Schatz v. Waksman, and the balance of credit for discovery".Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences.59 (3):441–462.doi:10.1093/jhmas/jrh091.PMID15270337.S2CID27465970.
^Pringle P (2012).Experiment Eleven: Dark Secrets Behind the Discovery of a Wonder Drug. New York: Walker & Company.ISBN978-1-62040-198-9.
^Schatz A, Bugle E, Waksman SA (1944). "Streptomycin, a substance exhibiting antibiotic activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria".Experimental Biology and Medicine.55:66–69.doi:10.3181/00379727-55-14461.S2CID33680180.
^Metcalfe NH (February 2011). "Sir Geoffrey Marshall (1887-1982): respiratory physician, catalyst for anaesthesia development, doctor to both Prime Minister and King, and World War I Barge Commander".Journal of Medical Biography.19 (1):10–14.doi:10.1258/jmb.2010.010019.PMID21350072.S2CID39878743.
Greenwood, David.Antimicrobial Drugs: Chronicle of a twentieth century medical triumph (Oxford University Press, 2008)summary
Kingston W (July 2004). "Streptomycin, Schatz v. Waksman, and the balance of credit for discovery".Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences.59 (3):441–462.doi:10.1093/jhmas/jrh091.PMID15270337.S2CID27465970.
Mistiaen V (November 2, 2002)."Time, and the great healer".The Guardian.. The history behind the discovery of streptomycin.
