Cephalosporin N : a New Type of Penicillin

A SPECIES of Cephalosporium has been found to produce two different kinds of antibacterial substance 1,2 . The first consists of a group of acidic antibiotics which are soluble in common organic solvents, are active mainly against Gram-positive organisms 2 , and show similarities to helvolic acid 2–4 . The second consists of a substance (or group of substances) which is insoluble in most organic solvents and is active against a number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. This has been called ‘cephalosporin N ’. Evidence has now been obtained that cephalosporin N is a new type of penicillin.