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Vancomycin
About Vancomycin
A powerful glycopeptide antibiotic reserved for severe infections including MRSA. Vancomycin was originally derived from a soil sample in Borneo. It works by inhibiting bacterial cell wall synthesis through a different mechanism than penicillin. Intravenous vancomycin is used for serious infections. Oral vancomycin treats C. difficile colitis. Vancomycin resistant enterococci or VRE emerged in the 1980s, creating a major hospital infection control challenge.
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