Pleuromutilins: Antibiotic Spectrum and Uses

Pleuromutilins are a class of antibiotics with potent activity against gram-positive bacteria. They inhibit bacterial protein synthesis by binding to the ribosome. Pleuromutilins are used to treat skin and soft tissue infections.

Pleuromutilins FAQ

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What are pleuromutilins?

Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2017 Jan; 7 (1): a027110. Pleuromutilins are antibiotics that selectively inhibit bacterial translation and are semisynthetic derivatives of the naturally occurring tricyclic diterpenoid pleuromutilin, which received its name from the pleuromutilin-producing fungus Pleurotus mutilus.

When was pleuromutilin first used?

Pleuromutilins were discovered as natural-product antibiotics in 1950. Tiamulin was the first pleuromutilin compound to be approved for veterinary use in 1979, followed by valnemulin in 1999. It was not until 2007 that retapamulin became the first pleuromutilin approved for use in humans. However, retapamulin is limited to topical application.

What are pleuromutilin derivatives?

In this review, the key properties of pleuromutilin derivatives, designed primarily through modifications at the C (14) side chain, are presented, and the potential of these compounds in systemic therapy in humans is discussed. Pleuromutilins were discovered as natural-product antibiotics in 1950.

Is pleuromutilin a natural antibiotic?

Pleuromutilin is a natural antibiotic first discovered in the 1950s from an edible mushroom— Pleurotus mutilus. The pleuromutilins are semisynthetic derivatives of the parent compound that have been used in veterinary medicine for over 3 decades with little evidence of resistant development.