Spectinomycin is an aminocyclitol

Aminocyclitol

The aminocyclitols are compounds related to cyclitols. They possess features of relative and absolute configuration that are characteristic of their class and have been extensively studied; but these features are not clearly displayed by general methods of stereochemical nomenclature, so that...

 antibiotic

Antibiotic

An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...

, closely related to the aminoglycosides, produced by the bacterium

Bacteria

Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...

 Streptomyces spectabilis.

There was a disruption in the supply in 2001.

Mechanism

Spectinomycin binds to the 30S

30S

30S is the smaller subunit of the 70S ribosome of prokaryotes. It is a complex of ribosomal RNA and ribonucleoproteins that functions in mRNA translation...

 subunit of the bacterial ribosome

Ribosome

A ribosome is a component of cells that assembles the twenty specific amino acid molecules to form the particular protein molecule determined by the nucleotide sequence of an RNA molecule....

 and interrupts protein synthesis.

One form of resistance has emerged in the 16S ribosomal RNA

16S ribosomal RNA

16S ribosomal RNA is a component of the 30S subunit of prokaryotic ribosomes. It is approximately 1.5kb in length...

 in Pasteurella multocida

Pasteurella multocida

Pasteurella multocida is a Gram-negative, non-motile coccobacillus that is penicillin-sensitive and belongs to the Pasteurellaceae family . It can cause avian cholera in birds and a zoonotic infection in humans, which typically is a result of bites or scratches from domestic pets...

.

Uses

It is given by injection

Injection (medicine)

An injection is an infusion method of putting fluid into the body, usually with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin to a sufficient depth for the material to be forced into the body...

 to treat gonorrhea

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain...

, especially in patients who are allergic to penicillin

Penicillin

Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. They include penicillin G, procaine penicillin, benzathine penicillin, and penicillin V....

s.
This antibiotic is no longer available in the United States.

A resistance-conferring gene for spectinomycin can also be used as a selection marker in bacteria for molecular cloning purposes.

Side effects

Side effects include itching, chills, stomach-ache, and red rash

Erythema

Erythema is redness of the skin, caused by hyperemia of the capillaries in the lower layers of the skin. It occurs with any skin injury, infection, or inflammation...

.