ANTIBIOTICS PRODUCED BY STREPTOMYCES. VIII

A NEW POLYENIC ANTIBIOTIC, OLEFICIN, EXHIBITING ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

A new polyenic antibiotic has been isolated from a strain A-461, related to Streptomyces parvulus which is described in this paper. Oleficin was obtained as a dark red powder by methanolic extraction of the filtered mycelium, followed by evaporation of the solvent and re-extraction into ethyl acetate, evaporation, precipitation with petroleum ether and chromatography on alumina. Its ultraviolet and visible spectra suggest the possible presence in its molecule of two chromophores, one of which is a polyene-like. It is active against Grampositive bacteria and has no effect upon the growth of fungi and yeasts.