Formamicin, a novel antifungal antibiotic produced by a strain of Saccharothrix sp. I. Taxonomy, production, isolation and biological properties.

Formamicin, an antifungal antibiotic, was isolated from the cultured broth of an actinomycete strain. The strain was isolated from a soil collected at Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan, and identified as Saccharothrix sp. MK27-91F2. Formamicin was extracted with acetone from cultured mycelia and purified by silicagel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies and CPC (Centrifugal liquid-liquid Partition Chromatography). Formamicin showed strong antimicrobial activity against phytopathogenic fungi.