Tetracycline - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tetracycline is a family of antibiotics discovered as natural products in 1945. It is a broad-spectrum antibiotic because it works against a range of bacteria.

Tetracyclines was first prescribed in 1948.^[1][2] It is produced naturally by the Streptomyces genus of Actinobacteria. It is a protein synthesis inhibitor.

In 1950, Harvard University professor Robert Burns Woodward worked out the chemical structure of the related oxytetracycline (Terramycin). The patent protection for its production was also first issued in 1950.

Tetracycline is an antibiotic used to treat a number of bacterial infections. It is commonly used to treat acne and rosacea. Historically it was important in reducing the number of deaths from cholera. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.^[3]