A New Macrolactin Antibiotic From Bacillus Subtilis Active Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci, And A Small-Colony Variant Of Burkholderia Cepacia is 7-O-Malonyl Macrolactin A.

Abstract

We report here the discovery, isolation, and chemical and preliminary biological characterization of a new antibiotic compound, 7-O-malonyl macrolactin A (MMA), produced by a Bacillus subtilis soil isolate. MMA is a bacteriostatic antibiotic that inhibits a number of multidrug-resistant gram-positive bacterial pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and a small-colony variant of Burkholderia cepacia. MMA-treated staphylococci and enterococci were pseudomulticellular and exhibited multiple asymmetric initiation points of septum formation, indicating that MMA may inhibit a cell division function.