Vancomycin

How it works

Soil bacteria make this glycopeptide, amino acids laced with sugars and chlorine, which stops resistant staph building its wall.

What it's made of

A glycopeptide: 7 interlinked amino acids, with sugars and chlorine. It is made by a soil bacterium, Amycolatopsis orientalis. It halts the building of the bacterium's wall.

What it's for

Prescribed for

IV: septicemia, endocarditis, and bone, skin and lung infections caused by gram-positive bacteria such as MRSA. By mouth: C. difficile diarrhea.