7-O-Malonyl Macrolactin A, a New Macrolactin Antibiotic from Bacillus subtilis Active against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci, and a Small-Colony Variant of Burkholderia cepacia

We report here the discovery, isolation, and chemical and preliminary biological characterization of a new antibiotic compound, 7-O-malonyl macrolactin A (MMA), produced by a Bacillus subtilis soil isolate. MMA is a bacteriostatic antibiotic that inhibits a number of multidrug-resistant gram-positive bacterial pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and a small-colony variant of Burkholderia cepacia. MMA-treated staphylococci and enterococci were pseudomulticellular and exhibited multiple asymmetric initiation points of septum formation, indicating that MMA may inhibit a cell division function.