Streptomycin: Uses, Side Effects, and Historical Significance

Streptomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic used to treat serious bacterial infections, including:

• Tuberculosis (TB)
• Bubonic plague
• Tularemia
• Brucellosis
• Endocarditis (often in combination with other antibiotics)

It is administered via intramuscular or intravenous injection. Streptomycin is also used prophylactically before, during, or after surgery to prevent infections.

Side Effects

Common adverse effects include kidney toxicity, hearing loss (ototoxicity), and dizziness. Serious effects may involve severe muscle weakness and nerve damage. Risk increases with higher doses and prolonged therapy. Contraindicated in patients with myasthenia gravis or other neuromuscular disorders.

Historical Note

Discovered in 1944 by Selman A. Waksman and Albert Schatz at Rutgers University, streptomycin was the first antibiotic effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It remains on the WHO List of Essential Medicines.