Colistin: our last line of defence

The polymyxins are a group of antibiotics which were first isolated from a spore-bearing soil bacillus, Bacillus polymyxa, in 1947. Colistin, also known as polymyxin E, was introduced into clinical practice over 50 years ago. Although it has remained available for use since then, it was largely shelved in the 1970s with the discovery of antibiotics that were equally or more effective but considered less toxic. 1

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South Afr J Infect Dis 2016; DOI: 10.1080/23120053.2016.1151157