TABLE 2.
Sources and sites of action of some antibioticsa
| Mechanism of action | Antibiotic | Producing organism |
|---|---|---|
| Inhibition of protein synthesis (acting on 30S ribosomal subunit) | Streptomycin | Streptomyces griseus |
| Neomycin | S. fradiae | |
| Tetracyclines | S. aureofaciens | |
| Spectinomycin | S. spectabilis | |
| Gentamycin | Micromonospora purpurea | |
| Tobramycin | S. tenebrarius | |
| Pactamycin | S. pactum | |
| Kanamycin | S. kanamyceticus | |
| Inhibition of protein synthesis (acting on 50S ribosomal subunit) | Erythromycin | S. erytherus |
| Carbomycin | S. halstidii | |
| Chloramphenicol | S. venezuelae | |
| Lincomycin | S. lincolenesis | |
| Streptogramins | S. graminofaciens | |
| Inhibition of synthesis or damage to cell wall | Penicillins | Penicillium chrysogenum |
| Cephalosporins | Cephalosporium acremonium | |
| Bacitracin | Bacillus subtilis | |
| Vancomycin | S. orientalis | |
| Cycloserine | S. garyphalus | |
| Inhibition of synthesis or damage to cytoplasmic membrane | Polymyxin | B. polymyxa |
| Tyrothricin | B. brevis | |
| Gramicidin S | B. brevis | |
| Inhibition of synthesis or metabolism of nucleic acids | Rifampin | S. mediterranei |
| Novobiocin | S. niveus |