Phenolic Substitution in Fidaxomicin: A Semisynthetic Approach to Antibiotic Activity Across Species (ChemBioChem 24/2023)

The narrow‐spectrum antibiotic fidaxomicin is active against a small number of Gram‐positive bacteria. New antibiotics were synthesized through modification the two phenolic hydroxy groups of fidaxomicin. The authors studied how switching the modification site influenced activity against different bacteria. The cover image depicts an antibiotic exploring a cave filled with stylized bacteria (Clostridioides difficile in blue, Mycobacterium tuberculosis in red, Caulobacter crescentus in green) and was designed by Erik Jung. More information can be found in the Research Article by K. Gademann et al.