It is an aminoglycoside that kills bacteria, fungi and other eukaryotic cells by inhibiting protein synthesis.

[1] Hygromycin B was originally developed in the 1950s for use with animals and is still added into swine and chicken feed as an anthelmintic or anti-worming agent (product name: Hygromix).

[2][3] Hygromycin B, along with aminoglycosides, inhibits protein synthesis by strengthening the interaction of tRNA binding in the ribosomal A-site.

[citation needed] Hygromycin resistance gene is frequently used as a selectable marker in research on plants.

[7] Fungus Coniothyrium minitans was transformed with the hygromycin B resistance gene to improve the infection rates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a fungal parasite of many crops.