vancomycin Definition

an antibiotic C66H75Cl2N9O24 derived from an actinomycete (Amycolatopsis orientalis synonym Streptomyces orientalis) that is effective against gram-positive bacteria and is used chiefly in the form of its hydrochloride C66H75Cl2N9O24·HCl especially against staphylococci resistant to methicillin

any of several enterococci (such as Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium) that are resistant to vancomycin and other commonly used antibiotics (such as cephalosporin and tetracycline) and are typically benign colonizers of the gastrointestinal tract and female genital tract but may cause severe infections (as of the urinary tract or bloodstream) especially in hospitalized patients with weakened immune systems and in individuals who are on long-term regimens of antibiotics —abbreviation VRE