Avoparcin
Avoparcin is a glycopeptide antibiotic effective against Gram-positive bacteria. It has been used in agriculture as an additive to livestock feed to promote growth in chickens, pigs, and cattle.[1] It is also used as an aid in the prevention of necrotic enteritis in poultry.[1] Avoparcin is a mixture of two closely related chemical compounds, known as α-avoparcin and β-avoparcin, which differ by the presence of an additional chlorine atom in β-avoparcin. Avoparcin also shares a chemical similarity with vancomycin. Because of this similarity, concern exists that widespread use of avoparcin in animals may lead to an increased prevalence of vancomycin-resistant strains of bacteria.[2][3][4][5] Avoparcin was once widely used in Australia and the European Union, but it is currently not permitted in either.[1][6] Streptomyces candidus was found to produce avoparcin.[7] Legal statusAvoparcin is prohibited in the Euopean Union,[8] Australia, and the United States. It was first banned in Denmark in 1995 as a feed additive, for its contributions to vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), and later banned in several other European countries.[9] It was never approved for use in the United States.[10] References
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