Biography
Biography: Jon B Bruss
Abstract
Vancomycin was isolated from soil from the jungles of Borneo in 1953 by scientists at Eli Lily & Co. It is a naturally occurring antibiotic produced by the soil bacterium Amycolatopsis orientalis (formerly Nocardia orientalis). It was approved in 1958 by the US FDA to treat penicillin resistant staphylococci. Vancomycin has subsequently become a primary treatment for infections due to MRSA, however it is steadily losing potency due to increasing minimum inhibitory concentrations for many strains of MRSA. Since the discovery of vancomycin, several other glycopeptide, lipodepsipeptide, and lipoglycopeptide antibiotics, all members of this class, have been discovered or synthesized including bleomycin (1966), teicoplanin (1975), ramoplanin (1984), dalbavancin (1996), oritavancin (1996), and telavancin (2000). Some of the newer semisynthetic members of this class have multiple mechanisms of action and greater potency against a wider spectrum of Gram-positive pathogens, including those with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin. This presentation will describe the various members of this class and compare their attributes and clinical use. Emphasis will be placed on the declining utility of vancomycin and the advantages of the newer lipoglycopeptides.