1972 Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 163-170
Diumycin, a phosphorus-containing glycolipid antibiotic, is produced by Streptomyces umbrinus ATCC 15972. It is active against gram-positive bacteria and, to a lesser degree, against gram-negative bacteria. Diumycin affects dividing but not resting cells of Staphylococcus aureus FDA 209 P. The antibiotic is strongly bound by serum. Although primarily bacteriostatic at levels approximating the minimum inhibitory concentration, it is bactericidal at higher levels. Diumycin is active upon subcutaneous administration to mice infected with Streptococcus pyogenes C 203 and Diplococcus pneumoniae and, like other members of the phosphorus-containing glycolipid antibiotic group, demonstrates a unique prophylactic activity against these infections. High and prolonged serum levels (lasting several weeks) were achieved in the plasma of dogs and monkeys after a single, parenteral dose of the antibiotic, and small to moderate amounts of bioactivity were recovered in the urine. Toxicity studies indicate that diumycin is well-tolerated in mice, but may cause a transient liver damage at dose levels near the LD50.
