ABSTRACT
Fusidic acid was developed by Leo Laboratories in Copenhagen and obtained from the fungus Fusidium coccineum. It has a steroid structure but is chemically also related to cephalosporin P, which is one of the antibiotics formed by the mold Cephalosporium acremonium. Owing to its resemblance to prednisolone, fusidic acid is said to belong to its own class of antibiotics, the steroid antibiotics. The molecular formula for fusidic acid is 2-(16-acetyloxy-3,11-dihydroxy-4,8,10,14- tetramethyl-2,3,4, 5,6,7, 9,11,12, 13,15,16- dodecahydro-1H- cyclopenta [a]phenanthren-17-ylidene)-6-methyl-hept-5-enoic acid, and the molecular structure is shown in Figure 80.1. Its molecular weight is 516.7. A number of derivatives of fusidic acid have been prepared, but their antibacterial activity is low compared with sodium fusidate (Godtfredsen et al., 1966). Chemical structure of fusidic acid. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315152110/08d8042d-9481-4a8d-8c27-9bd589f6de6b/content/fig80_1.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
