Discovery of nicoyamycin A, an inhibitor of uropathogenic Escherichia coli growth in low iron environments.

High-throughput screening and activity-guided purification identified nicoyamycin A, a natural product comprised of an uncommon 3-methyl-1,4-dioxane ring incorporated into a desferrioxamine-like backbone via a spiroaminal linkage. Nicoyamycin A potently inhibits uropathogenic Escherichia coli growth in low iron medium, a promising step toward developing novel antibiotics to treat recalcitrant bacterial infections.