erythromycin, drug synthesized by the soil bacterium Streptomyces erythraeus and used in the treatment of throat infections, pneumonia, and other diseases. Erythromycin, an antibiotic that inhibits the synthesis of vital proteins in susceptible bacteria, may be either bacteriostatic (i.e., inhibiting bacterial reproduction but not killing bacterial cells) or bactericidal (i.e., killing bacteria by direct action), depending on its concentration and the type of microorganism against which it is used. Among the disease-causing agents susceptible to erythromycin are Staphylococcus aureus, several species of Streptococcus, Mycoplasma species, Legionella pneumophila (the bacterium that causes Legionnaire disease), and Corynebacterium diphtheriae (the causative agent of diphtheria).