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| Trade names | Baciguent, Baciim, others |
| AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
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| Routes of administration | Topical,intramuscular,Ophthalmic drug administration |
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| Formula | C66H103N17O16S |
| Molar mass | 1422.71 g·mol−1 |
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Bacitracin[1] is apolypeptide antibiotic. It is a mixture of relatedcyclic peptides produced byBacillus licheniformis bacteria, that was first isolated from the variety "Tracy I" (ATCC 10716) in 1945.[2] These peptides disruptGram-positive bacteria by interfering withcell wall andpeptidoglycan synthesis.
Bacitracin is primarily used as a topical preparation, as it can cause kidney damage when used internally.[3] It is generally safe when used topically, but in rare cases may causehypersensitivity,allergic oranaphylactic reactions, especially in people allergic toneomycin.[4][5]
In 2023, it was the 323rd most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 100,000 prescriptions.[6]
Bacitracin is used in human medicine as apolypeptide antibiotic and is "approved by the USFood and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in chickens and turkeys," though use in animals contributes toantibiotic resistance.[7]
As bacitracin zinc salt, in combination with other topical antibiotics (usuallypolymyxin B andneomycin) as anointment ("triple antibiotic ointment," with the brand nameNeosporin), it is used for topical treatment of a variety of localized skin and eye infections, as well as for the prevention of woundinfections. A non-ointment form of ophthalmic solution is also available for eye infections.[8]
Bacitracin is a narrow-spectrum antibiotic. It targets Gram-positive bacteria, especially those that cause skin infections. The following represents susceptibility data for a few medically significant microorganisms.[9]
Bacitracin interferes with the dephosphorylation ofC55-isoprenyl pyrophosphate, and a related molecule known asbactoprenol pyrophosphate; both of these lipids function as membrane carrier molecules that transport the building-blocks of thepeptidoglycan bacterialcell wall outside of the inner membrane.[10]
Bacitracin was isolated byBalbina Johnson, abacteriologist at theColumbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.[11] Its name derives from the fact that a compound produced by a microbe in young Margaret Tracy's (1936–1994)[12] leg injury showed antibacterial activity.[13]
"One strain isolated from tissue debrided from a compound fracture of the tibia was particularly active. We named this growth-antagonistic strain for the patient, Tracy I. When cell-free filtrates of broth cultures of this bacillus proved to possess strong antibiotic activity and to be non-toxic, further study seemed warranted. We have called this active principle 'bacitracin'."[11]
Bacitracin was approved by the US FDA in 1948.[14]
Bacitracin is synthesised vianonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs), which means thatribosomes are not directly involved in itssynthesis. The three-enzymeoperon is called BacABC, not to be confused with BacABCDE ofbacilycin synthesis.[15]
Bacitracin is composed of a mixture of related compounds with varying degrees of antibacterial activity. Notable fractions include bacitracin A, A1, B, B1, B2, C, D, E, F, G, and X.[16] Bacitracin A has been found to have the most antibacterial activity. Bacitracin B1 and B2 have similar potencies and are approximately 90% as active as bacitracin A.[17]
Claims that bacitracin is aprotein disulfide isomerase inhibitor are disputed byin vitro studies.[18][19]
