Virginiamycin is a streptogramin

Streptogramin

Streptogramins are a class of antibiotics.Streptogramins are effective in the treatment of vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus , two of the most rapidly-growing strains of multidrug-resistant bacteria...

 antibiotic similar to pristinamycin

Pristinamycin

Pristinamycin , also spelled pristinamycine, is an antibiotic used primarily in the treatment of staphylococcal infections, and to a lesser extent streptococcal infections. It is a streptogramin group antibiotic, similar to virginiamycin, derived from the bacterium Streptomyces pristinaespiralis...

 and quinupristin/dalfopristin

Quinupristin/dalfopristin

Quinupristin/dalfopristin is a combination of two antibiotics used to treat infections by staphylococci and by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium....

. It is a combination of pristinamycin IIA

Pristinamycin IIA

Pristinamycin IIA is a macrolide antibiotic. It is a member of the streptogramin A group of antibiotics and one component of pristinamycin ....

 (virginiamycin M1) and virginiamycin S1

Virginiamycin S1

Virginiamycin S1 is a macrolide antibiotic in the group of antibiotics known as streptogramin B....

. Virginiamycin is used in the fuel ethanol industry to prevent microbial contamination. It is also used in agriculture, specifically in livestock, to accelerate the growth of the animals and to prevent and treat infections. Antibiotics also save as much as 30 percent in feed costs among young swine, although the savings fade as pigs get older, according to a new USDA study.