Effect of vancomycin on the growth of psittacosis-trachoma agents cultivated in eggs and cell culture.

The antibiotic vancomycin was effective in preventing bacterial contamination during studies with psittacosis and trachoma (PT) agents. This antibiotic was not toxic to chick embryos at 80 mg per egg, or to HeLa 229 cells cultivated in a medium containing 3,200 mug/ml of vancomycin; however, it was toxic to LLC-MK2 cells at a concentration of 1,600 mug/ml. Vancomycin did not affect the growth of a variety of PT agents at a concentration of 2 mg per egg or 800 mug per ml of cell culture medium, but it did inhibit the growth of common gram-positive bacterial air contaminants.