State microbe is noteworthy because it is: the first significant antibiotic discovered after penicillin; the first systemic antibiotic discovered in America; the first antibiotic active against tuberculosis; first-line treatment for plague. Moreover, New Jersey was the home of Selman Waksman, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his systematic studies of antibiotic production by "S. griseus" and other soil microbes. On May 15, 2017, Senate Bill 3190 (S3190) was introduced by Senator Samuel D. Thompson (R-12); the bill designates "Streptomyces griseus" as the New Jersey State Microbe, to be added to the state's other state symbols. On June
Antibiotic synergy potential therapies is moving in three primary directions. Some research is devoted to finding combinations of extant antibiotics which when combined exhibit synergy. A classic example of this effect is the interaction between β-lactams, which damage the bacteria cell membrane, and aminoglycosides, which inhibit protein synthesis. The damage dealt to the cell wall by β-lactams allows more aminoglycoside molecules to be taken up into the cell than would otherwise be possible, enhancing cell damage. In some cases, antibacterial combinations restore potency to ineffective drugs. Other research has been devoted to finding antibiotic resistance breakers (ARB's) which enhance an antibiotic's potency.