DC-52, a novel antitumor antibiotic. 1. Taxonomy, fermentation and biological activity

A novel antitumor antibiotic, DC-52 was found in the culture broths of Actinomycete DO-52. The producing organism was subsequently determined to be a new species and named Streptomyces melanovinaceus nov. sp. For the production of the antibiotic, soluble starch served as a good carbon source and soybean meal was a good nitrogen source tested. The antibiotic DC-52 is active against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae, but not active against most Gram-negative bacteria. The antibiotic is also active against mouse leukemia P388.