Impact of the new membrane-targeting lipoglycopeptide antibiotic MCC5145 on the treatment of bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia in mice.

S. pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) causes severe community acquired lung and blood infection, especially among the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions and/or weakened immune systems. The rising incidence of antibiotic resistance and delays between diagnosis of infection and commencement of effective therapy make treatment difficult and result in high mortality rates. In this work, we show that a new derivative (MCC5145) of an existing antibiotic (vancomycin) rapidly eradicated lethal pneumococcal challenge from the lungs and blood of mice with a suppressed immune system. Our findings support that MCC5145 is a promising option for the treatment of lung and blood infections caused by the pneumococcus at point-of-care settings, particularly for the elderly and individuals with a weakened immune system.