Antibacterial activities of erythromycins A, B, C, and D and some of their derivatives.

The MICs of erythromycins A, B, C, and D and some of their derivatives were determined against 21 gram-positive and 15 gram-negative microorganisms. Antibacterial activity was confined to gram-positive and very few gram-negative bacteria. Erythromycin B was somewhat less active than erythromycin A, and erythromycin C and D showed about half that activity or even less.