viomycin

Description

Viomycin was found independently in 1951, in the culture broth of Streptomyces puniceus by Pfizer Research Laboratories and in that of S. floridae by Parke Davis Co. It shows strong activity against Mycobacterium species and moderate activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Viomycin has been used by intramuscular administration to treat tuberculosis, but because of its ototoxicity and renal toxicity it is being replaced by more active and less toxic drugs, such as enviomycin and other antituberculotic antibiotics.

Originator

Vinactane,Ciba,US ,1953

The Uses of viomycin

Viomycin is a basic peptide antibiotic, which is an effective agent against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Background

Viomycin is a tuberactinomycin antibiotic that was used to treat Mycobacterium tuberculosis until it was replaced by the less toxic capreomycin. These drugs bind RNA in bacterial ribosomes and inhibit protein synthesis. Viomycin was derived from the actinomycete Streptomyces puniceus.

Indications

Viomycin is an essential component in the drug cocktail currently used to fight infections of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Definition

ChEBI: A cyclic peptide antibiotic produced by the actinomycete Streptomyces puniceus, used in the treatment of tuberculosis.

Indications

Viomycin is a complex polypeptide antibiotic that is active against MDR strains of tuberculosis. Cross-resistance between viomycin and kanamycin is less frequent than between viomycin and capreomycin.

Manufacturing Process

Viomycin is produced by inoculating a nutrient medium with a viable strain of the organism Actinomyces vinaceus. A method for the production of viomycin is set forth in US Patent 2,663,445 comprising inoculating a medium containing soy peptone, beef extract, dextrose, sodium chloride and a silicone antifoaming agent with a spore suspension of Actinomyces vinaceus and incubating the inoculated medium for 120 hours at a temperature of 26°C while passing sterile air through the medium at a rate of 500 ml per liter of medium per minute.

brand name

Viocin Sulfate (Pfizer).

Therapeutic Function

Antitubercular

Biological Activity

Member of the tuberactinomycin family of antibiotics . Inhibits group I intron splicing and prokaryotic protein synthesis. Freezes bacterial ribosomes in either the pre- or post-translational state. Facilitates trans -cleavage of the Neurospora VS ribozyme.

Metabolism

Not Available