The accident that changed the world - Allison Ramsey and Mary Staicu

Prevodilac: Aleksandar Bošnjak Lektor: Ivana Korom

London, 1928: a group of mold spores surf a breeze through a lab.

London, 1928. godine, spore buđi vetrom su dospele do laboratorije.

They drift onto a petri dish, and when they land,

Nanele su se na petrijevu posudu, a kada su se spustile,

they germinate a medical revolution.

proklijala je medicinska revolucija.

This lab belongs to Alexander Fleming, a Scottish scientist

Ova laboratorija je pripadala Aleksandru Flemingu, škotskom naučniku

investigating the properties of infectious bacteria.

koji je istraživao svojstva zaraznih bakterija.

At this time, Fleming is away on vacation.

U to vreme, Fleming je bio na putu.

When he returns, he finds a colony of mold growing on a petri dish

Kada se vratio, našao je koloniju buđi koja se razmnožava u petrijevoj posudi,

he’d forgotten to place in his incubator.

a koju je zaboravio da stavi u inkubator.

And around this colony of mold is a zone

Oko ove kolonije buđi je bila zona

completely and unexpectedly clear of bacteria.

koja je potpuno i neočekivano bila bez bakterija.

In studying this mysterious phenomenon,

Istražujući ovu misterioznu pojavu,

Fleming came to realize that the mold was secreting some kind of compound

Fleming je došao do saznanja da buđ luči neko jedinjenje

that was killing the bacteria.

koje ubija bakterije.

The mold was a species in the Penicillium genus,

Buđ je vrsta u rodu peniciliuma,

so Fleming dubbed the antibacterial compound “penicillin.”

tako da je Fleming nazvao antibakterijsko jedinjenje penicilin.

What Fleming stumbled upon was a microbial defense system.

Fleming je naišao na mikrobski odbrambeni mehanizam.

The penicillium mold constantly produces penicillin

Buđ peniciliuma neprestano proizvodi penicilin

in order to defend itself from threats,

da bi se odbranila od pretnji,

such as nearby bacterial colonies that might consume its resources.

kao što su obližnje kolonije bakterija koje mogu da potroše njene resurse.

Penicillin destroys many types of bacteria

Penicilin uništava mnogo tipova bakterija

by disrupting synthesis of their cell walls.

tako što ometa sintezu njihovog zida ćelija.

These walls get their strength from a thick, protective mesh of sugars

Ovi zidovi dobijaju snagu od debele, zaštitne mreže šećera

and amino acids,

i aminokiselina,

that are constantly being broken down and rebuilt.

koje se neprestano rastavljaju i ponovo sastavljaju.

Penicillin binds to one of the compounds that weaves this mesh together

Penicilin se vezuje za jedno od jedinjenja koja tkaju ovu mrežu zajedno

and prevents the wall from being reconstructed at a critical phase.

i sprečava da se zid ponovo izgradi u kritičnoj fazi.

Meanwhile, penicillin stimulates the release of highly reactive molecules

U međuvremenu, penicilin stimuliše otpuštanje veoma reaktivnih molekula

that cause additional damage.

koji uzrokuju dodatna oštećenja.

Eventually, the cell’s structure breaks down completely.

Na kraju, struktura ćelije se potpuno raspada.

This two-pronged attack is lethal to a wide range of bacteria,

Ovaj dvokraki napad je smrtonosan za širok opseg bakterija,

whether in petri-dishes, our bodies, or elsewhere.

bilo da su u petrijevoj posudi, našim telima ili bilo gde drugde.

It’s not, however, harmful to our own cells,

Nije, međutim, štetan za naše ćelije,

because those don’t have cell walls.

jer one nemaju zidove ćelija.

For a decade or so after Fleming’s discovery,

Oko jedne decenije nakon Flemingovog otkrića,

penicillin remained a laboratory curiosity.

penicilin je ostao laboratorijska znatiželja.

But during World War II,

Ali tokom Drugog svetskog rata,

researchers figured out how to isolate the active compound

naučnici su shvatili kako da izoluju aktivno jedinjenje

and grow the mold in larger quantities.

i razmnožavaju buđ u velikim količinama.

They then went on to win the Nobel Prize for their work.

Oni su osvojili Nobelovu nagradu za svoj rad.

Teams at Oxford and several American drug companies continued development,

Timovi na Oksfordu i nekoliko američkih kompanija za lekove su nastavili razvoj,

and within a few years it was commercially available.

i u roku od par godina bio je u slobodnoj prodaji.

Penicillin and similar compounds quickly transformed the treatment of infections.

Penicilin i slična jedinjenja su brzo promenili lečenje infekcija.

For the time being,

Za sada,

they remain some of the most important, life-saving antibiotics used in medicine.

oni su i dalje najvažniji antibiotici korišćeni u medicini.

However, the more we use any antibiotic, the more bacteria evolve resistance to it.

Međutim, što više koristimo antibiotike, to bakterije postaju rezistentnije.

In the case of penicillin,

U slučaju penicilina,

some bacteria produce compounds that can break down the key structure

neke bakterije proizvode jedinjenja koja mogu da razbiju ključnu strukturu

that interferes with cell wall synthesis.

koja sprečava sintezu zida ćelije.

As antibiotic use has increased,

Kako se korišćenje antibiorika povećalo,

more and more bacteria have evolved this defense,

sve više i više bakterija je postalo rezistentno

making these antibiotics ineffective

čineći ove antibiotike nedelotvornim

against a growing number of bacterial infections.

protiv rastućeg broja bakterijskih infekcija.

This means it’s essential that doctors not overprescribe the drug.

Ovo znači da je važno da doktori ne prepisuju previše lekova.

Meanwhile, 5 to 15% of patients in developed countries

Pet do 15 procenata pacijenata u razvijenim zemljama

self-identify as allergic to penicillin,

sami sebi daju dijagnozu da imaju alergiju na penicilin,

making it the most commonly reported drug allergy.

čineći je najčešćom alergijom na lekove.

However, the vast majority— over 90%— of people

Međutim, većina ljudi, preko 90 procenata,

who think they’re allergic to penicillin actually are not.

koji misle da su alergični na penicilin zapravno nisu.

Why the misperception?

Čemu pogrešna percepcija?

Many patients acquire the allergy label as children,

Mnogi pacijenti steknu alergije kao deca,

when a rash appears after they’re treated for an infection with penicillin

kada se pojavi osip nakon terapije penicilina

or closely related drugs.

ili lekova iz iste familije.

The rash is often blamed on penicillin,

Često se krivi penicilin za osip,

while the more likely culprit is the original infection,

dok je verovatniji krivac prvobitna infekcija

or a reaction between the infection and the antibiotic.

ili reakcija između infekcije i antibiotika.

However, genuine penicillin allergies,

Stvarna alergija na penicilin,

where our immune systems mistake penicillin for an attacker,

to je kada naš imuni sistem pomeša penicilin i napadača,

do occur rarely and can be very dangerous.

se retko dešava i može da bude opasna.

So if you think you’re allergic but don’t know for sure,

Dakle ako mislite da ste alergični ali ne znate zasigurno,

your best bet is to visit an allergist.

najbolje je da posetite alergologa.

They’ll complete an evaluation that’ll confirm

Oni će izvršiti evaluaciju koja će potvrditi

whether or not you have the allergy.

da li imate alergiju ili ne.

Even if you do have a penicillin allergy,

Čak i ako imate alergiju na penicilin,

your immune cells that react to the drug may lose their ability to recognize it.

vaš imune ćelije koje reaguju na lek mogu izgubiti sposobnost da ga prepoznaju.

In fact, about 80% of people who are allergic to penicillin

U stvari, oko 80 procenata ljudi koji su alergični na penicilin

outgrow their allergy within ten years.

prerastu svoje alergije u roku od 10 godina.

This is great news for people who currently identify

Ovo je velika vest za ljude koji trenutno misle

as allergic to penicillin;

da imaju alergiju na penicilin.

the drug may one day save their lives, as it has done for so many others.

Ovaj lek im jednog dana možda spasi živote kao što je to učinio za mnoge druge.