[Search for antibiotic antimetabolites].

Special media have been developed during the past years, which provided detection of new antibiotics with the properties of antimetabolites produced by microorganisms. Antimetabolites of amino acids, vitamins and nucleic acids were found among the antimetabolite antibiotics. The antimetabolites of nucleic acids with an antitumor activity were most interesting. This group of the compounds included 5-asacytidin and antibiotic 1719 identical to azotomycin.