kanamycin

American  

[kan-uh-mahy-sin] / ˌkæn əˈmaɪ sɪn /

noun

Pharmacology.

1. a broad-spectrum aminoglycoside antibiotic, C 18 H 35 N 3 O 10 , isolated from the Japanese soil bacterium Streptomyces kanamyceticus and used in the treatment of infections, especially those caused by Gram-negative bacilli.

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kanamycin British  

/ ˌkænəˈmaɪsɪn /

noun

1. an aminoglycoside antibiotic obtained from the soil bacterium Streptomyces kanamyceticus, used in the treatment of various infections, esp those caused by Gram-negative bacteria. Formula: C 18 H 36 N 4 O 11

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Etymology

Origin of kanamycin

First recorded in 1955–60; from New Latin kana(mycēticus), the specific epithet of the genus, equivalent to Japanese kana- “golden,” from kane “gold” (from the color of the bacterial colonies) + New Latin myc(ēticus) “pertaining to a mushroom” + English -in; see origin at streptomyces ( def. ), myco- ( def. ), -in ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Tisile eventually lost her hearing as a result of painful daily injections of kanamycin, an older TB medication.

From Scientific American • Aug. 14, 2023

Her treatment now involved 13 different medications, including injections of kanamycin, which can cause permanent hearing loss and kidney impairment.

From Scientific American • May 19, 2022

To fight the guilty strains of germs-which are resistant to most widely used antibiotics-doctors are trying two new antibiotics not yet released for general use, vancomycin and one developed in Japan called kanamycin.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week the payoff was reported at a two-day Manhattan medical meeting: kanamycin, an antibiotic developed from a microbe found in K-2J, has won quick renown.

From Time Magazine Archive