A broad class of antibiotics derived from the Cephalosporium fungus, used to treat bacterial infections.
From 'Cephalosporium' (a fungus genus) + '-in' (a chemical suffix). The fungus was isolated from a marine fungus discovered near a sewer outfall in Sardinia in 1948.
Like penicillin, cephalosporins were discovered by accident when scientists noticed a fungus killing bacteria—the discovery that would earn Guiseppe Brotzu international recognition happened because of pollution in a sewer outfall, proving that lucky discoveries can come from unexpected places.
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