Nikkomycin Z is a natural product, a nucleoside-type antibiotic isolated from Steptomyces tendae in the mid-1970s. Nikkomycin Z has potent narrow-spectrum activity against some fungi, including Rhizopus cirdinans, Colletrotrichum trifolii and Botrytis cinerea (MIC 1, 5 and 5 µg/mL) and Coccidioides species, the causal agent of coccidioidomycosis. Nikkomycin Z in combination with caspofungin or micafungin is synergistic against Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis biofilms. Renewed interest in Nikkomycin Z studies should expand our understanding of fungal physiology.
