A powerful glycopeptide antibiotic reserved for serious infections caused by gram-positive bacteria, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It works by preventing bacterial cell wall formation and requires careful monitoring due to potential kidney and hearing toxicity.
Named 'vancomycin' from 'vanquish' because it could overcome resistant bacteria that other antibiotics couldn't defeat. Discovered in 1953 from soil bacteria Amycolatopsis orientalis, originally called 'compound 05865'.
Vancomycin is called the 'antibiotic of last resort' because it's held in reserve for when other drugs fail against superbugs like MRSA! Ironically, bacteria are now developing resistance even to vancomycin, creating 'vancomycin-resistant enterococci' (VRE) that represent one of medicine's greatest challenges.
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