What happened after the initial discovery of penicillin?

After the initial discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928, its potential as an antibiotic was not fully realized until the late 1930s and early 1940s. Researchers Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain developed methods for mass production and purification of penicillin, which proved crucial during World War II for treating wounded soldiers. This led to the widespread use of antibiotics, revolutionizing medicine and significantly reducing mortality from bacterial infections. The success of penicillin spurred further research into other antibiotics, marking the beginning of the antibiotic era.