After the first cephalosporin was discovered in 1945, scientists improved the structure of cephalosporins to make them more effective against a wider range of bacteria. Each time the structure changed, a new “generation” of cephalosporins were made. There are five generations of cephalosporins. ...

Cephalosporins are a large group of antibiotics derived from the mold Acremonium (previously called Cephalosporium). This mold yielded three main compounds, historically called Cephalosporin N and C, and P, from which the first cephalosporins were derived. Cephalosporins are bactericidal (kill bacteria) ...