Avoparcin is a
glycopeptide antibiotic
Glycopeptide antibiotics are a class of drugs of microbial origin that are composed of glycosylated cyclic or polycyclic nonribosomal peptides. Significant glycopeptide antibiotics include the anti-infective antibiotics vancomycin, teicoplan ...
effective against
Gram-positive bacteria
In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall.
Gram-positive bact ...
. It has been used in agriculture as an additive to livestock feed to promote growth in chickens, pigs, and cattle.
It is also used as an aid in the prevention of
necrotic enteritis in poultry.
[
Avoparcin is a mixture of two closely related chemical compounds, known as α-avoparcin and β-avoparcin, which differ by the presence of an additional chlorine atom in β-avoparcin. Avoparcin also shares a chemical similarity with ]vancomycin
Vancomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections. It is recommended intravenously as a treatment for complicated skin infections, bloodstream infections, endocarditis, bone and joint infection ...
. Because of this similarity, concern exists that widespread use of avoparcin in animals may lead to an increased prevalence of vancomycin-resistant strains of bacteria.
Avoparcin was once widely used in Australia and the European Union, but it is currently not permitted in either.[ It was never approved for use in the United States.]
References
{{Cell wall disruptive antibiotics
Glycopeptide antibiotics