On Some Biological Characteristics of Streptomycin B

Abstract

Summary

Streptomycin B, an antibiotic closely related to streptomycin, and seprated from the latter by chromatography, has been studied in vitro against 8 strains or species of bacteria and in each case shown to be less active, on a weight basis, than streptomycin per se.

Toxicity studies in mice indicated that streptomycin B and streptomycin have approximately equal LD₅₀ values on a weight basis.

In experimental tuberculosis infections in mice, streptomycin B was about 1/3 as active (again weight for weight) as was streptomycin, but was approximately equally active as the latter on the basis of presently accepted units.

In experimental S. schottmülleri infections in mice, streptomycin B again had 1/3 the activity of Streptomycin on a weight basis, but would appear to be more active than the latter if comparison was made on a unit basis.