Arenimycin, an antibiotic effective against rifampin- and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from the marine actinomycete Salinispora arenicola.

摘要

The incidence of infections by drug-resistant bacteria continues to increase and remains a serious threat to human health. In 2007, the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reported that the number of serious infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylo-coccus aureus (MRSA) alone was close to 100000 a year, with almost 19 000 related fatalities, a number that is larger than the US death toll attributed to HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) in the same year.1 Marine natural products offer a rich source of poorly explored bioactive molecules that are of potential value in the development of new pharmaceutical agents.2 Marine bacteria in particular have proven to be a good source of small molecules, with the vast majority of compounds being discovered from chemically prolific Gram+ bacteria belonging to the order Actinomycetales (actinomycetes).