Tag: Undecaprenyl pyrophosphate

Discovered in 1943 from a strain of bacteria found in a patient's wound, bacitracin is a polypeptide antibiotic renowned for its targeted antimicrobial activity. This article explores the specific question: **what does bacitracin do to bacteria?** It works by disrupting a critical process in bacterial cell wall synthesis, leading to cell death.

Remarkably, **Bacillus subtilis**, the very organism from which the antibiotic bacitracin was first isolated, possesses highly effective intrinsic resistance mechanisms to protect itself from this potent compound. This is a fascinating paradox in the field of pharmacology, as the producer organism has evolved intricate defense networks to survive in the presence of its own antimicrobial warfare.