Kanamycin

kanamycin

[‚kan·ə′mīs·ən]

(microbiology)

C₁₈H₃₆O₁₁N₄ A water-soluble, basic antibiotic produced by strains of Streptomyces kanamyceticus; the sulfate salt is effective in infections caused by gram-negative bacteria.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Kanamycin

 

(Kantrex, Resistomycin), an antibiotic of the amino glycoside group.

Kanamycin was first obtained from the actinomycete Strep-tomyces kanamyceticus in 1957. It is soluble in water, thermostable, and polybasic. Kanamycin is effective against most gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and mycobacteria. It is ineffective against yeasts, fungi, enterococci, and bacteroids. Kanamycin sulfate solution is administered intramuscularly in the treatment of tuberculosis. Although kanamycin has a low level of toxicity, in large doses it produces side effects on the kidneys and acoustic nerves.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.