Vancomycin use--an historical review

Abstract

In the early 1950s the increase of antibiotic-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus in hospitalized patients with infection stimulated a screening program to develop an effective new agent. A soil sample found in the jungles of Borneo contained a microorganism, Streptomyces orientalis, that produced a substance later called vancomycin. Vancomycin was shown to have antistaphylococcal activity and to be relatively safe when administered to patients. With the resurgence of staphylococcal infections resistant to the newer antistaphylococcal antibiotics, there has been a corresponding increase in the use of vancomycin. Vancomycin is also being used for prophylaxis in patients with reduced renal function undergoing dialysis, for the treatment of patients with antibiotic-induced enterocolitis, and in combination with other antibiotics for 'sterilization' of the intestinal tract in patients with cancer.