Vancomycin is a powerful antibiotic derived from Nocardia Orientalis. It is used against most gram-positive bacteria including Streptococci, Corynebacteria, Clostridia, Listeria, and Bacillus species. The only current microorganism with resistance to Vancomycin is VRE.
When coming into contact with Vancomycin, microorganisms are killed when their ability to perform bacterial cell wall synthesis is stopped. However, Vancomycin also damages the bacterial cell membranes and interferes with RNA synthesis.