Final answer:
The antibacterial properties of Penicillium notatum were first published by Alexander Fleming in 1928, leading to the discovery of penicillin, which was later mass-produced by a team led by Howard Florey and Ernst Chain.
Step-by-step explanation:
The findings of the antibacterial properties of Penicillium notatum were first published by Alexander Fleming in 1928. Fleming noticed the antibacterial effects of the mold that had contaminated a culture of staphylococci in his laboratory at St. Mary's Hospital in London after returning from holiday. He conducted further research and found that the substance, which he named penicillin, was effective against a variety of bacteria, including streptococci, meningococci, and Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The large-scale isolation and mass production of penicillin were later achieved by the Oxford University team led by Howard Florey and Ernst Chain in the 1940s. Fleming, along with Florey and Chain, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1945 for this life-saving discovery.