Studies on Antiviral Antibiotics from Streptomyces. I A New Antiviral Antibiotic, Phagomycin

Abstract

In the present time, there is no chemotherapeutic agent which is clinically useful against the diseases caused by ‘true’ viruses, although some substances suppressing experimentally virus growth have been recognized. These evidences, however, do not suggest that antiviral chemotherapy is impossible.

Streptomyces has been known to be a rich source of various kinds of interesting compounds. It produces not only antibacterial antibiotics but also anti-fungal, anti-spirochetal, anti-protozoal and anti-tumor substances. In our laboratory, the research of anti-viral antibiotics produced by streptomyces was carried out. For the screening of new antiviral antibiotics several animal viruses and bacteriophages were employed. Such employment of bacteriophages as test virus for screening of antiviral chemotherapeutic agent, however, involves an undissolved problem, whether antiphage substance has inhibitory action on animal virus, or not.

During the screening program, it was found that Streptomyces sp. E 424 and C 388 strains which related each other in morphology inhibited a bacteriophage, and that antiviral activity of the former strain was stronger than that of the latter, and from the culture filtrate of E 424 strain, the author isolated an antiviral substance in a pure form. It was recognized as a new substance and named Phagomycin.

In the present paper, the taxonomic studies of the producing strain, the cultivation and isolation procedure, and physicochemical and biological properties of the antibiotic are recorded.