Ziracin, a novel oligosaccharide antibiotic

Ziracin is produced by Micromonospora carbonacea and is highly active against Gram-positive bacteria. In particular it is highly active against methicillin resistant staphylococci and vancomycin resistant enterococci. Ziracin, C71H97NO38Cl2, contains two orthoester linkages, a nitro sugar, a methylene dioxy group, two aromatic ester residues and thirty five centres of assymmetries. In this paper a brief description of the structural elucidation of ziracin is presented along with the chemical modification of the antibiotic which has led to the identification of several potent antibacterials.