N-demethylvancomycin, a novel antibiotic produced by a strain of Nocardia orientalis. Taxonomy and fermentation.

Abstract

A novel vancomycin analog, N-demethylvancomycin, is produced by a soil isolate collected in Yucatan, Mexico. This microorganism, designated NRRL 15232, is a strain of N. orientalis. Unlike some glycopeptide antibiotics, virtually none of the N-demethylvancomycin synthesized remained bound to the cells of the producing culture. Antibiotic production was markedly depressed by the addition of Pi to the fermentation medium. Enrichment of the medium with tyrosine, p-hydroxyphenylglycine, p-hydroxyphenylglyoxylic acid or leucine, all putative precursors of the aglycone, stimulated the biosynthesis of N-demethylvancomycin.