vancomycin

noun

van·​co·​my·​cin ˌvaŋ-kə-ˈmī-sᵊn 

: an antibiotic C₆₆H₇₅Cl₂N₉O₂₄ derived from an actinomycete (Amycolatopsis orientalis synonym Streptomyces orientalis) that is effective against gram-positive bacteria and is used chiefly in the form of its hydrochloride C₆₆H₇₅Cl₂N₉O₂₄·HCl especially against staphylococci resistant to methicillin

Examples of vancomycin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As with my friend Candy, a single course of oral vancomycin, taken four times a day, quashed this patient’s illness. —Claire Panosian Dunavan, Discover Magazine, 8 Feb. 2011

About 1 in 3 infections are resistant to the go-to antibiotic, vancomycin. —Christian Millman, Discover Magazine, 6 June 2018

However, a newer antibiotic, fidaxomicin, has been proven more effective and would be a better choice for you, having failed a course of vancomycin. —Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 18 Aug. 2022

Swabs from the skin, nose and mouth, as well as saliva and stool samples, showed that 34 percent of all participants had antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as resistant Gram-negative bacilli or vancomycin-resistant enterococci. —Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 16 May 2022

Word History

Etymology

vanco- (of uncertain origin) + -mycin

Note: The claim by recent authors that vanco- is formed from the verb vanquish (see, for example, Donald P. Levine, "Vancomycin: a history," Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 42, supplement 1, pp. S5-12) is not substantiated by early sources.

First Known Use

circa 1956, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing vancomycin

• vancomycin-resistant enterococcus

Medical Definition

vancomycin

noun

van·​co·​my·​cin ˌvaŋ-kə-ˈmīs-ᵊn 

: an antibiotic C₆₆H₇₅Cl₂N₉O₂₄ derived from an actinomycete (Amycolatopsis orientalis synonym Streptomyces orientalis synonym Nocardia orientalis) that is effective against gram-positive bacteria and is used chiefly in the form of its hydrochloride C₆₆H₇₅Cl₂N₉O₂₄·HCl especially against staphylococci resistant to methicillin see vancocin