Spectinomycin Dihydrochloride: An Aminocyclitol Antibiotic Used for the Treatment of Infection with Streptomyces spectabilis and for Molecular Cloning
Spectinomycin dihydrochloride is an aminoglycoside antibiotic produced by a species of soil microorganism designated as
Streptomyces spectabilis. Spectinomycin exerts its bactericidal activity by inhibiting protein synthesis in the bacterial cell; the site of action is the 30S ribosomal subunit. Spectinomycin is highly effective for the treatment of infections with
Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
In vitro studies have shown no cross-resistance of
Neisseria gonorrhoeae between spectinomycin hydrochloride and benzylpenicillins [
A2092] [
P1770] [
P1772]. On bioscience research, a resistance-conferring gene for spectinomycin can also be used as a selection marker in bacteria for molecular cloning purposes. In addition, spectinomycin is used as a selection agent for transformed plant cells that contain the selectable marker gene SpcR. (The product is for research purpose only.)