Vancomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic medication used to treat certain bacterial infections, administered intravenously to treat complicated skin infections, bloodstream infections, endocarditis, bone and joint infections, and meningitis caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Facts
Drug ClassGlycopeptide antibiotic 4 Mechanism of ActionBinds the D-alanyl-D-alanine peptide motif of peptidoglycan precursors, blocking transglycosylation and disrupting bacterial cell wall assembly. 4 Approved UseTreats complicated skin infections, bloodstream infections, endocarditis, bone and joint infections, and MRSA meningitis, administered intravenously. 4 First Approved / Isolated Year Significant RiskInjection site pain and allergic reactions; less often hearing loss, low blood pressure and bone marrow suppression. 4 Classification
ATC ClassSourced to the subject's own accountJ: Antiinfectives for Systemic Use 1 Route of Administration WHO Essential MedicineSourced to the subject's own account Connections
Associated With
Treats
Source Vancomycin (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System (Wikipedia)
WikipediaFirst-level anatomical group codes, Code JQuote, First-level anatomical group codes, Code J
Antiinfectives for systemic use
2. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancomycin, lead sectionQuote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancomycin, lead section
measured to determine the correct dose. Vancomycin is also taken orally to treat Clostridioides difficile infections. When taken orally, it is poorly absorbed.
3. WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWHO Model List of Essential Medicines, Watch group antibiotics sectionQuote, WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, Watch group antibiotics section
Vancomycin
4. Vancomycin (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
complicated skin infections, bloodstream infections, endocarditis, bone and joint infections, and meningitis caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Infobox, drug class
Glycopeptide antibiotic
Mechanism of action section
binding to the D-alanyl-D-alanine peptide motif
History section
First isolated in 1953; approved for medical use in the United States in 1958
Adverse effects section
Common side effects include injection site pain and allergic reactions
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
Why is vancomycin given intravenously for body-wide infections but by mouth for colitis?
It is poorly absorbed from the gut, so systemic use is intravenous and oral use is reserved for infection in the colon.
Vancomycin is poorly absorbed from the intestine, so it must be given intravenously for systemic therapy. The only approved indication for oral vancomycin therapy is pseudomembranous colitis, where it must be given orally to reach the site of infection in the colon.
Where did vancomycin come from?
Isolated in 1953 at Eli Lilly by a team led by Edmund Kornfeld, from a soil sample supplied by a missionary.
Vancomycin was first isolated in 1953 by a research team led by chemist Edmund Kornfeld at Eli Lilly, from a soil sample provided by missionary William M. Bouw. The organism in the soil that produced the antibiotic was a previously unknown streptomycete, originally named Streptomyces orientalis and later reclassified as Amycolatopsis orientalis.
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