Ristocetin, a Laboratory and Clinical Evaluation in Children:

Ristocetin, a glycopeptide antibiotic, was isolated from Amycolatopsis orientalis shortly after the discovery of vancomycin, a similar glycopeptide. Ristocetin's antibacterial properties were described in 1955,¹ and the drug was widely used as an antistaphylococcal drug until the early 1960s. In this 1960 article, Pries and Koch describe the clinical response to ristocetin in 55 children, including pharmacokinetic studies. Serious staphylococcal infections were effectively treated, but one-third of the patients had mild toxicities (eosinophilia, leukopenia, skin rash, and local reactions). Interestingly, none developed thrombocytopenia, but other reports of ristocetin-induced severe thrombocytopenia eventually led to ristocetin's discontinuation as an antimicrobial drug.²