bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of temafloxacin in experimental Streptococcus adjacens endocarditis and autoradiographic diffusion pattern of [14C]temafloxacin in cardiac vegetations
Authors: Cremieux A C , Saleh-Mghir A , Vallois J M , Maziere B , Muffat-Joly M , Devine C , Bouvet A , Pocidalo J J , Carbon C
Published: June 2012

Temafloxacin, a new fluoroquinolone, alone or in combination with tobramycin, was compared with penicillin, tobramycin, and their combination in the therapy of rabbits with endocarditis caused by Streptococcus adjacens GaDT, a new species of nutritionally variant streptococci. Animals were injected intramuscularly for 4 days with temafloxacin (50 mg/kg of body weight twice daily [b.i.d.]) alone or combined with tobramycin (12 mg/kg once daily), with procaine penicillin (150,000 U/kg b.i.d.) alone or combined with tobramycin (12 mg/kg once daily), or with tobramycin (12 mg/kg once daily) alone. Another group of animals was treated with a higher dose of temafloxacin (100 mg/kg b.i.d.). Temafloxacin, penicillin, and tobramycin MICs and MBCs were 1 and 2, 0.015 and 1, and 8 and 16 micrograms/ml, respectively. Time-kill curves showed that the addition of tobramycin to penicillin or temafloxacin increased the killing rate. In vivo, treatment with temafloxacin (50 and 100 mg/kg b.i.d.) alone reduced the bacterial counts in vegetations (3.9 +/- 0.9 and 3.1 +/- 0.8 log10 CFU/g of vegetation) compared with those in the vegetations of control animals (7.5 +/- 0.9 log10 CFU/g of vegetation). This result was similar to that obtained with penicillin alone (4.5 +/- 0.8 log10 CFU/g of vegetation). The combination of temafloxacin (50 mg/kg) and tobramycin was as effective as penicillin plus tobramycin (2.5 +/- 0.3 versus 2.3 +/- 0.4 log10 CFU/g of vegetation, respectively). The autoradiographic pattern of [14C]temafloxacin diffusion into infected cardiac vegetations was studied. Thirty minutes after the end of infusion of 250 microCi of [14C]temafloxacin, the [14C]temafloxacin was homogeneously distributed throughout the vegetations. These data support further evaluation of quinolones in experimental endocarditis.
Effects of dimethyl prostaglandin A1 on herpes simplex virus and human immunodeficiency virus replication
Authors: Hughes-Fulford M , McGrath M S , Hanks D , Erickson S , Pulliam L
Published: June 2012

We have investigated the direct effect of dimethyl prostaglandin A1 (dmPGA1) on the replication of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). dmPGA1 significantly inhibited viral replication in both HSV and HIV infection systems at concentrations of dmPGA1 that did not adversely alter cellular DNA synthesis. The 50% inhibitory concentration (ID50) for several HSV type 1 (HSV-1) strains ranged from 3.8 to 5.6 micrograms/ml for Vero cells and from 4.6 to 7.3 micrograms/ml for human foreskin fibroblasts. The ID50s for two HSV-2 strains varied from 3.8 to 4.5 micrograms/ml for Vero cells; the ID50 was 5.7 micrograms/ml for human foreskin fibroblasts. We found that closely related prostaglandins did not have the same effect on the replication of HSV; dmPGE2 and dmPGA2 caused up to a 60% increase in HSV replication compared with that in untreated virus-infected cells. HIV-1 replication in acutely infected T cells (VB line) and chronically infected macrophages was assessed by quantitative decreases in p24 concentration. The effective ID50s were 2.5 micrograms/ml for VB cells acutely infected with HIV-1 and 5.2 micrograms/m for chronically infected macrophages. dmPGA1 has an unusual broad-spectrum antiviral activity against both HSV and HIV-1 in vitro and offers a new class of potential therapeutic agents for in vivo use.
Azithromycin-induced block of elementary body formation in Chlamydia trachomatis
Authors: Engel J N
Published: June 2012

The mechanism of action of azithromycin on the murine strain of Chlamydia trachomatis grown in tissue culture epithelial cells is addressed. Azithromycin at a concentration of 100 ng/ml inhibits chlamydial growth in tissue culture, a value that agrees well with prior in vitro data from human strains of C. trachomatis grown in tissue culture. By morphological criteria, the block to chlamydial growth appears to occur early in its life cycle. Azithromycin is not directly toxic to chlamydial elementary bodies but does inhibit chlamydial protein synthesis in chlamydia-infected cells. This inhibition appears quite general in nature and is rapid. It is further shown that azithromycin does not directly inhibit mRNA synthesis. Azithromycin blocks chlamydial protein synthesis in host cell-free chlamydial reticulate bodies in a manner similar to its inhibition in infected cells, albeit at slightly higher concentrations. The inhibition of chlamydial protein synthesis following a brief exposure to azithromycin is more long lasting than that following a brief exposure to erythromycin.
Bactericidal activity of ramoplanin against antibiotic-resistant enterococci
Authors: Johnson C C , Taylor S , Pitsakis P , May P , Levison M E
Published: June 2012

Ramoplanin, a new lipoglycodepsipeptide antibiotic, was uniformly active against 65 strains of enterococci, including strains highly resistant to vancomycin, penicillin G, and gentamicin. MBCs were usually within a fourfold dilution of the MICs. In time-kill studies, ramoplanin alone demonstrated dose-dependent bactericidal activity against enterococcal strains that resisted killing by vancomycin or penicillin in combination with gentamicin.
Activities of newer fluoroquinolones against Shigella sonnei
Authors: John J F , Atkins L T , Maple P A , Bratoeva M
Published: June 2012

The activities of six fluoroquinolones were determined for 117 separate strains of Shigella sonnei. The order of increasing activity (MICs for 90% of strains tested) was enoxacin (0.25 micrograms/ml), temafloxacin (0.032 micrograms/ml), sparfloxacin (0.016 micrograms/ml), CI-960 (0.008 micrograms/ml), ciprofloxacin (0.008 micrograms/ml), and PD-131628-2 (0.008 micrograms/ml). These data, along with results of killing and mutational rate studies, showed that all six fluoroquinolones were highly inhibitory against S. sonnei and five fluoroquinolones were rapidly and persistently bactericidal.
Fluoroquinolone supersusceptibility mediated by outer membrane protein OprH overexpression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: evidence for involvement of a nonporin pathway
Authors: Young M , Hancock R E
Published: June 2012

Overexpression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa outer membrane protein OprH led to an 8- to 32-fold increase in susceptibility to chloramphenicol and the quinolones nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and fleroxacin in comparison with the susceptibility of the wild-type strain H103 grown on Mg(2+)-sufficient medium. This was true regardless of whether OprH overexpression was induced by growth of strain H103 on Mg(2+)-deficient medium, the addition of 5 mM m-toluate to cells containing the cloned oprH gene behind the inducible tol promoter in plasmid pGB25, or mutation in the polymyxin-resistant derivative strain H181. In contrast, OprH overexpression failed to reverse the quinolone resistance phenotype of a nalB mutant. OprH was purified to homogeneity by selective detergent solubilization and fast protein liquid chromatography. The addition of OprH to the solution bathing a black lipid bilayer membrane failed to give rise to an increase in membrane conductance. This suggests that OprH is not a porin but, instead, may cause increased uptake of quinolones and chloramphenicol via a non-porin pathway.
Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of infant rhesus macaques as a model to test antiretroviral drug prophylaxis and therapy: oral 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine prevents SIV infection
Authors: Van Rompay K K , Marthas M L , Ramos R A , Mandell C P , McGowan E K , Joye S M , Pedersen N C
Published: June 2012

The prophylactic and therapeutic properties of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection were tested in four 3-month-old rhesus macaques. The infant monkeys were inoculated intravenously with a low dose (1 to 10 100% animal infectious doses) of uncloned SIVmac. The monkeys were treated orally with 50 mg of AZT per kg of body weight every 8 h; two animals were started on treatment 2 h prior to virus inoculation, and two animals were started on treatment 6 weeks later. All four animals were treated for a period of 6 to 10 weeks. Outward signs of AZT toxicity were absent, but a mild macrocytic anemia occurred soon after therapy was started and resolved shortly after it was discontinued. The two infants that were begun on AZT treatment 2 h prior to virus inoculation never became infected, as demonstrated by the inability to detect cell-free or cell-associated virus in the blood, proviral DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, or anti-SIV antibodies. AZT administration over a 10-week period had no detectable effect on the course of disease in the two animals that were begun on treatment after the infection had been established. In addition to demonstrating the prophylactic effect of AZT against low-dose SIV exposure, the study demonstrated the ease with which infant rhesus macaques can be used for antiretroviral drug testing.
Stability of antimycobacterial drugs in susceptibility testing
Authors: Griffith M E , Bodily H L
Published: June 2012

Aqueous solutions of 0.02% isoniazid, 0.2% streptomycin, 0.2% para-aminosalicylate, and 0.5% ethambutol and ethylene glycol solutions of 0.5% ethionamide stored at 3 to 7 degrees C remained stable for 1 year, as did aqueous solutions of 0.05% ethionamide hydrochloride, 0.05% kanamycin, 0.05% viomycin, and 0.1% capreomycin stored at -20 degrees C. The ethambutol and capreomycin solutions were tested by microbiologic methods; the other solutions were tested by both spectrophotometric and microbiologic methods. Prepared susceptibility testing media made with cycloserine, rifampin, and the above solutions incorporated into Middlebrook 7H10 medium showed acceptable stability when stored at 3 to 7 degrees C for 1 month. During incubation of the test medium at 37 degrees C, approximately half of the activity of isoniazid, ethionamide, ethambutol, cycloserine, and rifampin was lost after periods ranging from 2 to 4 days for ethambutol to 2 weeks for rifampin.
Intracellular zidovudine (ZDV) and ZDV phosphates as measured by a validated combined high-pressure liquid chromatography-radioimmunoassay procedure
Authors: Slusher J T , Kuwahara S K , Hamzeh F M , Lewis L D , Kornhauser D M , Lietman P S
Published: June 2012

In vitro studies of zidovudine (ZDV) phosphorylation may not accurately reflect the in vivo dose-response relationship, which is crucial to determining the relationship between ZDV exposure, efficacy, and toxicity. However, measurement of ZDV phosphorylated anabolites in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from ZDV-treated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients would be extremely useful in the more appropriate utilization of ZDV in the treatment of HIV infection. We developed a specific and sensitive combined high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)-radioimmunoassay (RIA) procedure for the determination of ZDV, ZDV-monophosphate, ZDV-diphosphate, and ZDV-triphosphate in PBMCs taken from ZDV-treated HIV-infected patients. ZDV and its anabolites were extracted from washed, Ficoll-Paque-isolated PBMCs and then separated by HPLC using a strong anion-exchange column. The anabolites were then hydrolyzed to ZDV with acid phosphatase. ZDV was then measured by using a modified commercially available RIA protocol. Our method was validated by measuring [3H]ZDV anabolites generated in Molt-4 cells radioisotopically and simultaneously by the combined HPLC-RIA procedure. The ZDV determinations correlated well (r2 = 0.97) over the range of 0.037 to 5.2 pmol (10 to 1,400 pg) per assay tube. Furthermore, we defined the stability of ZDV anabolites during ficoll isolation and the recovery after extraction and cleanup. We then measured intracellular parent ZDV and its phosphorylated anabolites in PBMCs from six ZDV-treated HIV-infected patients (PBMCs were taken 2 h after a 300-mg oral dose). The mean concentrations ( +/- standard deviations) of parent and of mono-, di-, and triphosphates were 0.15 +/- 0.08, 1.4 +/-, 0.082 +/- 0.02, and 0.081 +/- 0.03 pmol/10(6) PBMC, respectively (one pmol/10(6) PBMC represents a concentration of approximately 1 microm). Concurrent serum ZDV concentrations were between 1.3 and 7.1 microm. This method should provide a useful tool for evaluating in vivo pharmacokinetics of ZDV anabolites in PBMCs and possibly other cell types, even at the low doses of ZDV currently administered therapeutically.
Comparative pharmacokinetics of SCE-2787 and related antibiotics in experimental animals
Authors: Kita Y , Yamazaki T , Imada A
Published: June 2012

The pharmacokinetic properties of SCE-2787 administered intravenously at a dose of 20 mg/kg of body weight were studied with mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, and monkeys and were compared with those of ceftazidime, cefpirome, and cefclidin in mice and dogs. The area under the concentration-time curve for plasma after intravenous administration was the largest in monkeys, followed by those in dogs, rabbits, rats, and mice, in that order. The elimination half-life ranged from 0.2 to 0.3 h in mice and rats to 0.7 to 1.3 h in rabbits, dogs, and monkeys. In young dogs, the concentrations of SCE-2787 in plasma were somewhat lower than those in the mature dogs. SCE-2787 was distributed well to the tissues, and the highest concentration was found in the kidneys in all species tested; the distribution to the lungs, liver, and spleen was also good, but the concentrations in these tissues were lower than those in the plasma. The pharmacokinetic parameters and urinary excretion of SCE-2787 in mice and dogs were similar to those of ceftazidime, cefpirome, and cefclidin. The maximum concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid of rats and rabbits were 0.8 and 1.3 micrograms/ml, and the relative percentages of the area under the concentration-time curve of SCE-2787 in the cerebrospinal fluid to that in the plasma were 4.6 and 6.4%, respectively. SCE-2787 was excreted mainly in the urine; the recovery rate ranged from 74% (rats) to 90% (dogs) of the dose. The biliary excretion of SCE-2787, however, was low, amounting to about 1.4% for mice and rats and less than 0.5% for rabbits and dogs. In rats, there was no accumulation in the tissues and no delay in urinary excretion upon multiple intravenous administration of 20 mg of SCE-2787 per kg once daily for 7 days. No active metabolites were found in the plasma or urine of animals given SCE-2787. The binding of SCE-2787 to serum protein in mice, rats, dogs, monkeys, and humans was less than 11% and similar to that of cefclidin.
Topical treatment with butenafine significantly lowers relapse rate in an interdigital tinea pedis model in guinea pigs
Authors: Arika T , Yokoo M , Yamaguchi H
Published: June 2012

Butenafine is a novel antifungal agent of the class of benzylamines. The incidence of relapse after topical treatment with butenafine or bifonazole was investigated in a guinea pig interdigital tinea pedis model. One percent butenafine or bifonazole cream was applied on the infected site of animals for 20 consecutive days starting on day 10 postinfection. On day 30 posttreatment, relapse of the infection occurred in 11 of the 12 feet treated with bifonazole but in only 3 of the 12 feet treated with butenafine. The lower relapse rate after butenafine treatment might be attributable to its potent fungicidal activity and long retention time in the skin.
Increasing resistance of enterococci to ciprofloxacin
Authors: Schaberg D R , Dillon W I , Terpenning M S , Robinson K A , Bradley S F , Kauffman C A
Published: June 2012

We determined that resistance to ciprofloxacin has emerged in enterococci over the last 5 years in our hospital, mainly in strains demonstrating the phenotype of high-level gentamicin resistance. All high-level-gentamicin-resistant isolates from 1985 and 1986 were susceptible, whereas 24% of isolates from 1989 and 1990 were resistant to ciprofloxacin. Plasmid and genomic DNA typing showed at least six unique strains exhibiting resistance, but one type accounted for 80% of recent resistant isolates, suggesting a role for cross infection in the emergence of resistance.
Comparative sequence analysis of the catB gene from Clostridium butyricum
Authors: Huggins A S , Bannam T L , Rood J I
Published: June 2012

Sequence analysis of the Clostridium butyricum chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene, catB, showed that it encoded a CAT monomer of 219 amino acids with a molecular weight of 26,114. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of the CATB monomer to those of sixteen other CATs showed that it was most closely related to the CATQ monomer from Clostridium perfringens.
Induction of topoisomerase II-mediated DNA cleavage by the plant naphthoquinones plumbagin and shikonin
Authors: Fujii N , Yamashita Y , Arima Y , Nagashima M , Nakano H
Published: June 2012

Plumbagin and shikonin, plant metabolites which have naphthoquinone structures, induced mammalian topoisomerase II-mediated DNA cleavage in vitro. Treatment of a reaction mixture containing these naphthoquinones and topoisomerase II at an elevated temperature (65 degrees C) resulted in a great reduction in DNA cleavage, suggesting that the mechanism of the topoisomerase II-mediated DNA cleavage induced by these naphthoquinones is through formation of a cleavable complex, as seen with antitumor agents such as 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide and demethylepipodophyllotoxin ethylidene-beta-glucoside. Lawson and lapacol, which are structurally related plant metabolites with naphthoquinone moieties, could not induce topoisomerase II-mediated DNA cleavage. Plumbagin and shikonin induced a similar DNA cleavage pattern with topoisomerase II which was different from the cleavage patterns induced with other known topoisomerase II-active drugs. A DNA-unwinding assay with T4 DNA ligase showed that shikonin, lawson, and lapacol did not intercalate into DNA, while plumbagin and 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone intercalate into DNA, but to a lower degree than 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide does.
In vivo efficacy of a new fluoroquinolone, sparfloxacin, against penicillin-susceptible and -resistant and multiresistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae in a mouse model of pneumonia
Authors: Azoulay-Dupuis E , Vallee E , Veber B , Bedos J P , Bauchet J , Pocidalo J J
Published: June 2012

The increasing emergence of penicillin-resistant and multiresistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae may pose a problem in coming years. We therefore compared sparfloxacin, a new fluoroquinolone with improved potency against streptococci, with amoxicillin, the "gold standard" in this setting, and another fluoroquinolone, ciprofloxacin, in a mouse pneumonia model. Their efficacies against penicillin-susceptible (serotype 3), macrolide-resistant (serotype 1), penicillin-resistant (serotype 23), and multiresistant (serotype 6) S. pneumoniae strains were evaluated. Immunocompetent Swiss mice (serotypes 1 and 3) and leukopenic mice (serotypes 6 and 23) were infected by peroral tracheal delivery of 10(4) to 10(6) CFU. Subcutaneous injections of antibiotics were initiated at 6, 18, 48, or 72 h after infection (six injections at 12-h intervals). In the immunocompetent mice, 100% survival was obtained with sparfloxacin (50 mg/kg) and amoxicillin (5 mg/kg) against both penicillin-susceptible and macrolide-resistant strains; ciprofloxacin gave significantly lower survival rates. Two to four injections of sparfloxacin completely cleared bacteria from lungs and blood; the most rapid eradication was achieved with amoxicillin. Sparfloxacin also fully protected leukopenic mice against penicillin-resistant strains. The dose of amoxicillin (50 mg/kg) required to protect mice and eradicate penicillin-resistant and multiresistant strains was 10 times higher than that effective against penicillin-susceptible strains. The microbiological and pharmacokinetic properties of sparfloxacin (e.g., the time during which concentrations exceed the MIC of the test pathogen) accounted for its efficacy against susceptible and resistant strains of S. pneumoniae in this model.
Pharmacodynamics of once-daily amikacin in various combinations with cefepime, aztreonam, and ceftazidime against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an in vitro infection model
Authors: McGrath B J , Bailey E M , Lamp K C , Rybak M J
Published: June 2012

The pharmacodynamics of once-daily amikacin administered as monotherapy and in combination with aztreonam, ceftazidime, and cefepime against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and clinical isolate 16690 (moderately susceptible to ceftazidime) were investigated with an in vitro model of infection over a 24-h period. Monotherapy with aztreonam, ceftazidime, and cefepime and combinations of aztreonam with cefepime or ceftazidime were also studied. MICs and MBCs were determined for viable organisms at 24 h to test for the development of resistance. Once-daily amikacin demonstrated killing activity over the initial 8 h superior to those of all other drugs administered as monotherapy against both strains tested (P < 0.01). Regrowth by 24 h was greatest for the amikacin regimen (P < 0.01) but was apparent for all monotherapy regimens against both strains. No changes in susceptibilities were observed. All combination therapies containing once-daily amikacin achieved 99.9% reductions in log10 CFU/ml by 2.0 h against both strains, with no regrowth of organisms at 24 h. Aztreonam-cefepime and -ceftazidime combinations required approximately 5 to 6 h to achieve a 99.9% reduction in log10 CFU/ml. Although there was no difference in time to the 99.9% kill between the aztreonam-cefepime and -ceftazidime regimens against either strain, the killing activity of these combinations was significantly less than those of regimens containing once-daily amikacin (P < 0.01). Minor differences in the initial susceptibilities of beta-lactams and the monobactam aztreonam against P. aeruginosa may not be important for therapeutic outcomes when used in combination with single-daily aminoglycoside therapy.
In vitro antibiotic susceptibility of the newly recognized agent of ehrlichiosis in humans, Ehrlichia chaffeensis
Authors: Brouqui P , Raoult D
Published: June 2012

Ehrlichiosis in humans, a rickettsial disease recently discovered in the United States, is generally treated successfully with tetracyclines; however treatment with these agents is usually avoided with children and pregnant women. The in vitro susceptibility of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, the agent of human ehrlichiosis in the United States, was assessed by a quantitative evaluation of infected DH82 cells cultivated in 96-well microtiter plates in the presence of different concentrations of selected antibiotics. Extracellular MICs and MBCs were evaluated after 72 h of exposure to the antibiotics. Doxycycline and rifampin were found to exert rapidly bactericidal effects, with MBCs in the extracellular culture medium of less than 0.5 and 0.125 microgram/ml, respectively. E. chaffeensis was resistant to chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, co-trimoxazole, penicillin, and gentamicin, which had MICs greater than 16, 4, 8, 4, 40, and 32 micrograms/ml, respectively. These observations are consistent with the finding that human ehrlichiosis appears to respond to tetracycline therapy, which has been the therapy of first choice. Further clinical investigations are necessary to evaluate the role of rifampin in the treatment of human ehrlichiosis, especially in children.
Antibacterial properties of Ro 40-6890, a broad-spectrum cephalosporin, and its novel orally absorbable ester, Ro 41-3399
Authors: Angehrn P , Hohl P , Hubschwerlen C , Page M , Then R
Published: June 2012

Ro 41-3399 is a novel orally active ester of Ro 40-6890, an aminothiazolyl cephalosporin with potent in vitro activities against commonly encountered aerobic gram-positive bacteria (streptococci and methicillin-susceptible staphylococci) and gram-negative bacteria (members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, haemophili, meningococci, and gonococci). In terms of the MICs determined by the methods recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards, for 50 and 90% of gram-positive organisms, the water-soluble free carboxylic acid Ro 40-6890 proved to be at least as active as or two- to fourfold more active than cefpodoxime, cefuroxime, cefaclor, amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, and ceftriaxone; against aerobic gram-negative organisms, Ro 40-6890 was usually two- to fourfold more active than cefpodoxime, the next most potent of the oral drugs under comparison, but remained usually two- to fourfold weaker than ceftriaxone. Ro 40-6890 showed a high affinity for the essential penicillin-binding proteins of susceptible bacteria and was resistant to hydrolysis by a broad array of beta-lactamases. Ro 41-3399 bopentil was well absorbed in mice when administered by oral gavage and proved effective in several experimental bacterial infections. Further studies with Ro 41-3399 and Ro 40-6890 are in progress.
In vitro activity of sparfloxacin (AT-4140), a new quinolone agent, against invasive isolates from pediatric patients
Authors: Akaniro J C , Stutman H R , Arguedas A G , Vargas O M
Published: June 2012

Sparfloxacin is a new oral fluoroquinolone agent with putative activity against common pediatric pathogens. Using the broth microdilution method, we evaluated sparfloxacin activity in comparison with those of other antimicrobial agents against 383 pediatric isolates derived from cultures of blood and other normally sterile body fluids. MICs were assessed in Mueller-Hinton broth, serum, and urine, as well as at inoculum sizes of 10(4) to 10(8) CFU/ml. The emergence and stability of resistance and cross-resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (mucoid and nonmucoid) and Staphylococcus aureus to sparfloxacin and ciprofloxacin were evaluated. Inhibitory activity of sparfloxacin against most test organisms was within achievable serum levels. Sparfloxacin was greater than or equal to 2- to 4-fold more active than other quinolones against gram-positive pathogens and 2- to 4-fold less active than ciprofloxacin against P. aeruginosa. Sparfloxacin activity was unaffected by urine and was enhanced by two- to eightfold in human serum. Its potency was not affected by inocula of less than or equal to 10(7) CFU/ml. The frequency of development of spontaneous resistance was similar to that found for other new quinolone agents, and stable resistance emerged only in P. aeruginosa. Sparfloxacin merits additional study against invasive pediatric pathogens.
Safety and pharmacokinetics of multiple doses of intravenous ofloxacin in healthy volunteers
Authors: Guay D R , Opsahl J A , McMahon F G , Vargas R , Matzke G R , Flor S
Published: June 2012

The safety and pharmacokinetics of ofloxacin in 48 healthy male volunteers were studied in a two-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Ofloxacin (200 or 400 mg) or placebo was administered as 1-h infusions every 12 h for 7 days. Plasma ofloxacin concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Mean harmonic half-lives ranged from 4.28 to 4.98 h in the 200-mg dosing group and from 5.06 to 6.67 h in the 400-mg dosing group. Intragroup comparisons of trough plasma concentration-versus-time data from study days 2 through 7 revealed that steady state was achieved by day 2 of both multiple-dose regimens. Intergroup comparisons of mean harmonic half-lives, the areas under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 12 and 0 to 60 h, clearance, and apparent volume of distribution (area method) revealed that the pharmacokinetics of ofloxacin are dose independent. Both ofloxacin dosage regimens appeared to be reasonably well tolerated. The two dosage regimens of ofloxacin, 200 or 400 mg every 12 h, appear to be safe and provide serum drug concentrations in excess of the MICs for most susceptible pathogens over the entire dosing interval.
Survey of Bacteroides fragilis group susceptibility patterns in Canada
Authors: Bourgault A M , Lamothe F , Hoban D J , Dalton M T , Kibsey P C , Harding G , Smith J A , Low D E , Gilbert H
Published: June 2012

The in vitro activities of penicillin, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, metronidazole, piperacillin, piperacillin-tazobactam, ticarcillin, ticarcillin-clavulanate, ampicillin-sulbactam, cefoxitin, ceftizoxime, cefotetan, moxalactam, and imipenem against 348 Bacteroides fragilis group isolates collected from six Canadian cities during 1990 were determined by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) agar dilution technique. All isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol, metronidazole, piperacillin-tazobactam, and imipenem. For the other antibiotics tested, the following resistance rates were observed: penicillin, 97%; clindamycin, 9%; piperacillin, 19%; ticarcillin, 31%; ticarcillin-clavulanate, 0.28%; ampicillin-sulbactam, 0.85%; cefoxitin, 26%; ceftizoxime, 15%; cefotetan, 53%; and moxalactam, 17%. Susceptibility profiles to beta-lactam antibiotics varied among the different species tested: B. fragilis and Bacteroides vulgatus demonstrated lower resistance rates than Bacteroides distasonis and indole-positive Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Bacteroides ovatus. Ceftizoxime results should be interpreted cautiously, because the MICs obtained with the recommended NCCLS control strain were lower than expected.
Further investigation of anticoccidial activity of 7-bromo-N-(2-imidazolidinylidene)-1H-indazol-6-amine
Authors: Ricketts A P , McFarland J W , Newcomb D M , Olson J A , Rice J R
Published: June 2012

The clonidine analog 7-bromo-N-(2-imidazolidinylidene)-1H-indazol-6-amine exhibits potent activity against Eimeria tenella infections in chickens. Disease control was abrogated by a selective alpha 2 antagonist, which is consistent with the dependence of such activity upon binding to receptors with characteristics of the vertebrate alpha 2 adrenoceptor. Lack of significant activity against the parasite in tissue culture and our inability to detect significant binding of alpha 2 adrenergic ligands to E. tenella imply that the anticoccidial action may be an indirect effect mediated by the host. Efficacy varied, depending upon the Eimeria species, being greatest for the cecal species E. tenella and less for the intestinal species. The effects described differ substantially from previous accounts of adrenergic actions on parasitic protozoa. The evidence suggests that we have observed a new mechanism of action for antiparasitic drugs.
Chemotherapeutic efficacy of a newly synthesized benzoxazinorifamycin, KRM-1648, against Mycobacterium avium complex infection induced in mice
Authors: Tomioka H , Saito H , Sato K , Yamane T , Yamashita K , Hosoe K , Fujii K , Hidaka T
Published: June 2012

Newly synthesized benzoxazinorifamycin, KRM-1648, was studied for its in vivo anti-Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) activities. When the MICs were determined by the agar dilution method with Middlebrook 7H11 agar medium, KRM-1648 exhibited similarly potent in vitro antimicrobial activities against the MAC isolated from AIDS and non-AIDS patients, indicating possible usefulness of KRM-1648 against AIDS-associated MAC infections. KRM-1648 exhibited potent therapeutic activity against experimental murine infections induced by M. intracellulare N-260 (virulent strain) and N-478, which has much weaker virulence. Similarly, KRM-1648 exhibited an excellent therapeutic efficacy against M. intracellulare infection induced in NK-cell-deficient beige mice (as a plausible model for AIDS-associated MAC infection), in which a much more progressed state of gross lesions and bacterial loads at the sites of infection were observed. When the infected beige mice were killed at weeks 4 and 8, obvious therapeutic efficacy was seen on the basis of reduction in the incidence and degree of lung lesions and bacterial loads in the lungs and spleen with infections due to M. intracellulare N-241, N-256, and N-260. In this case, the efficacy was the highest in N-260 infection, followed by strain N-241. When mice were observed until infection-induced death, survival time of the infected beige mice was found to be prolonged by KRM treatment. However, KRM-1648 was not efficacious in suppressing the progression of pulmonary lesions and the increase in bacterial loads at the sites of infection, including lungs and spleen, at the late phase of infection. This may imply some difficulty with chemotherapy for AIDS-associated MAC infection, even with KRM-1648 treatment, which has excellent in vitro and in vivo anti-MAC activities, as shown in present study.
Genetic basis of tetracycline resistance in clinical isolates of Listeria monocytogenes
Authors: Poyart-Salmeron C , Trieu-Cuot P , Carlier C , MacGowan A , McLauchlin J , Courvalin P
Published: June 2012

The genetic basis of tetracycline resistance was studied in 25 clinical isolates of Listeria monocytogenes. Resistance to tetracycline was associated with resistance to minocycline and due to the presence of the tet(M) gene in 24 strains. Association of tet(M) with int-Tn, the gene encoding the protein required for the movements of Tn1545-like conjugative transposons, was found in all strains. Cotransfer of tet(M) and int-Tn among L. monocytogenes cells and from L. monocytogenes to Enterococcus faecalis was detected in 7 of the 12 strains studied at frequencies similar to those obtained with the prototype element Tn1545. tet(L), the second most prevalent tetracycline resistance gene in enterococci and streptococci, was detected in the remaining strain, where it was borne by a 5-kb plasmid. These observations indicate that two types of movable genetic elements, transposons and plasmids, in enterococci and streptococci are responsible for emergence of drug resistance in L. monocytogenes.
Inhibitory effects of polyethers on human immunodeficiency virus replication
Authors: Nakamura M , Kunimoto S , Takahashi Y , Naganawa H , Sakaue M , Inoue S , Ohno T , Takeuchi T
Published: June 2012

We examined the inhibitory activities of 10 polyether antibiotics on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1. These compounds caused concentration-dependent inhibition of HIV replication in primary infected cultures of human T-lymphoblastoid H9 cells. The ratio of 50% effective concentrations for cellular cytotoxicity (MTT assay) to antiviral activity (reverse transcriptase assay) was over 5. Anti-HIV activity was also observed in cultures of monocytic lineage U937 cells chronically infected with HIV.
In vitro and in vivo activities of SCH 42427, the active enantiomer of the antifungal agent SCH 39304
Authors: Loebenberg D , Cacciapuoti A , Parmegiani R , Moss E L , Menzel F , Antonacci B , Norris C , Yarosh-Tomaine T , Hare R S , Miller G H
Published: June 2012

SCH 39304, a new triazole antifungal agent, is a 50:50 racemic mixture of two enantiomers, SCH 42427 and SCH 42426. The activities of these three compounds were compared in a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments. SCH 42427 was twofold more active in vitro against a variety of yeasts and dermatophytes than SCH 39304, while SCH 42426 was inactive (MICs greater than 64 micrograms/ml). In a systemic Candida albicans infection in mice, SCH 42427 administered orally (p.o.) (50% protective dose [PD50], 0.17 mg/kg of body weight; 50% effective dose, [ED50], 0.47 mg/kg) had greater efficacy than SCH 39304 (PD50, 0.21 mg/kg; ED50, 0.62 mg/kg) and SCH 42426 (greater than 100 mg/kg for PD50 and ED50). In a pulmonary Aspergillus flavus infection in mice, SCH 42427 p.o. (PD50, 13 mg/kg) was also more effective than SCH 39304 (18 mg/kg) and SCH 42426 (greater than 250 mg/kg). In a C. albicans vaginal infection in hamsters, SCH 42427 p.o. (ED50, 3.5 mg/kg) was more active than SCH 39304 (8.5 mg/kg) and SCH 42426 (320 mg/kg). Following topical administration, against a Trichophyton mentagrophytes infection in guinea pigs, SCH 42427 was about 2-fold more active than SCH 39304 and about 100-fold more active than SCH 42426. These and other results indicated that SCH 42427 is the active enantiomer, responsible for all the antifungal activity observed with SCH 39304.
Conjugal transfer of plasmid DNA from Enterococcus faecalis to Escherichia coli in digestive tracts of gnotobiotic mice
Authors: Doucet-Populaire F , Trieu-Cuot P , Andremont A , Courvalin P
Published: June 2012

We have studied the transfer of the conjugative shuttle plasmid pAT191, which confers resistance to kanamycin, from Enterococcus faecalis to Escherichia coli in the digestive tracts of six gnotobiotic mice. Colonies of E. coli resistant to kanamycin were isolated from the feces of two mice, respectively, on days 25 and 35 after the beginning of the experiment and never thereafter. The transfer frequency of pAT191, expressed as the number of transconjugants per donor cell isolated from intestines of sacrificed mice, was 3 x 10(-9). These results indicate that conjugation is a mechanism that could account for the resistance gene flux from gram-positive to gram-negative bacteria observed in nature.
Antibacterial activity of sparfloxacin against experimental renal infections in mice
Authors: Georgopoulos A , Feistauer S M , Graninger W , Pfleger S , Georgopoulos M
Published: June 2012

In a murine model of renal infection (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli), sparfloxacin was compared with ciprofloxacin and fleroxacin. After intrarenal inoculation, mice were treated orally for 5 days. The drugs were administered at five different dosages, ranging from 3.125 to 50 mg/kg of body weight per day for S. aureus and from 0.78 to 12.5 mg/kg/day for E. coli. Evaluation of efficacy was based on the proportional reduction of bacterial counts in the kidney tissues of treated animals compared with those of untreated control animals. For S. aureus, the doses required to clear the infection in 50% of mice were as follows: sparfloxacin, 10 mg/kg/day; ciprofloxacin, 33 mg/kg/day; and fleroxacin, 16 mg/kg/day. For E. coli renal infection, the corresponding dosages were as follows: sparfloxacin, 1.5 mg/kg/day; ciprofloxacin, 2.45 mg/kg/day; and fleroxacin, 1.8 mg/kg/day. Sparfloxacin and fleroxacin have a lower effective dose than ciprofloxacin in these models, probably because ciprofloxacin has a shorter serum half-life than the other two compounds.
Construction of a water-soluble form of penicillin-binding protein 2a from a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolate
Authors: Wu C Y , Hoskins J , Blaszczak L C , Preston D A , Skatrud P L
Published: June 2012

The mecA gene from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus 27r, which encodes the membrane-bound penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP 2a), was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. PBP 2a is the major factor that mediates methicillin resistance in staphylococci. The DNA sequence of the mecA gene from strain 27r was greater than 99% identical to the DNA sequence of other S. aureus mecA genes and the mecA gene from Staphylococcus epidermidis. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of PBP 2a from strain 27r revealed a hydrophobic region at the amino terminus that possessed characteristics of an uncleaved signal peptide such as those found in type II integral membrane proteins. Site-specific mutagenesis was used to modify the strain 27r mecA gene to permit removal of the region encoding the putative transmembrane region (amino acids 2 to 22). When it was expressed in E. coli, the modified mecA gene from strain 27r encoded a water-soluble form of PBP 2a that was detectable in the cytoplasm of transformants. The water-soluble form of PBP 2a protein from S. aureus 27r retained the same binding efficiency for beta-lactam antibiotics as the unmodified membrane-bound PBP 2a from S. aureus 27r.
Antagonism between isoniazid and the combination pyrazinamide-rifampin against tuberculosis infection in mice
Authors: Grosset J , Truffot-Pernot C , Lacroix C , Ji B
Published: June 2012

Mice that had been inoculated intravenously with 6.30 log10 Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv 14 days earlier were administered one of three combinations of drugs, i.e., isoniazid (INH)-rifampin (RMP)-pyrazinamide (PZA), INH-RMP, and RMP-PZA, during an initial 2-month period to mimic the initial phase of chemotherapy for human tuberculosis and during a later 4-month period to mimic the continuation phase of chemotherapy. At the end of the initial phase, all three combined regimens were found to have been highly effective in terms of the number of CFUs in the spleens of infected mice. The bactericidal activities of INH-RMP-PZA and INH-RMP were similar, whereas that of RMP-PZA was significantly greater. The spleens of all of the mice that had been treated initially with INH-RMP-PZA were culture negative by the end of 6 months of treatment, regardless of the regimen employed during the continuation phase. However, after an additional period of 6 months without treatment, the proportion of spleen culture positivity, or relapse rate, was significantly smaller in the subgroup treated with RMP-PZA during the continuation phase than in the subgroups treated with INH-RMP-PZA or INH-RMP; the relapse rate did not differ significantly between the latter two subgroups. These results suggest that antagonism occurs between INH and the combination RMP-PZA during both the initial and continuation phases of chemotherapy, compromising the benefit conferred by the addition of PZA to the combined regimen.The preliminary pharmacokinetic analysis suggested that the pharmacological interaction between INH and RMP was very likely to be involved in the mechanism of antagonism, as concomitant treatment with INH had significantly reduced the peak serum level and the area under the serum concentration-time curve of RMP in mice.
In vitro activity of sparfloxacin compared with those of five other quinolones
Authors: Cantón E , Pemán J , Jimenez M T , Ramón M S , Gobernado M
Published: June 2012

The in vitro activity of sparfloxacin, a new difluorinated quinolone, was evaluated against 857 gram-positive and gram-negative clinical isolates and compared with those of ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, fleroxacin, and lomefloxacin. The MIC of sparfloxacin for 90% of the members of the family Enterobacteriaceae tested was 0.5 microgram/ml (range, 0.06 to 4.0 micrograms/ml); only for members of the genera Serratia, Citrobacter, and Providencia were MICs above 1 microgram/ml. Some 90% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were inhibited by 8 micrograms of the drug per ml. The MICs for 90% of Staphylococcus spp. and Enterococcus faecalis were 0.12 and 2 micrograms/ml, respectively. All (100%) Streptococcus pneumoniae strains were inhibited by 0.5 microgram/ml. The inoculum size had little effect on either the MIC or the MBC of sparfloxacin. An increase in the magnesium concentration from 1.1 to 8.4 mM increased the MIC between 2 and 10 times, depending on the genus tested. Sparfloxacin was less active at pH 5. The antibacterial activity of sparfloxacin against gram-positive bacteria was generally higher than those of the quinolones with which it was compared; against Streptococcus pneumoniae, sparfloxacin was four- and eightfold more active than ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, respectively. The activity of sparfloxacin against gram-negative rods was generally comparable to that of ciprofloxacin except against Enterobacter and Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas cepacia, Xanthomonas maltophilia, and Alcaligenes and Flavobacterium spp., against which sparfloxacin was the most active quinolone.
Nucleotide sequence and phylogeny of the tet(L) tetracycline resistance determinant encoded by plasmid pSTE1 from Staphylococcus hyicus
Authors: Schwarz S , Cardoso M , Wegener H C
Published: June 2012

The nucleotide sequence of the tetracycline resistance (tet) gene and its regulatory region, encoded by the plasmid pSTE1 from Staphylococcus hyicus, was determined. The tet gene was inducible by tetracycline and encoded a hydrophobic protein of 458 amino acids. Comparisons between the predicted amino acid sequences of the pSTE1-encoded Tet from S. hyicus and the previously sequenced Tet K variants from Staphylococcus aureus, Tet L variants from Bacillus cereus, Bacillus stearothermophilus, and Bacillus subtilis, Tet M variants from Streptococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus as well as Tet O from Streptococcus mutans were performed. An alignment of Tet amino acid sequences revealed the presence of 30 conserved amino acids among these Tet variants. On the basis of the alignment, a phylogenetic tree was constructed. It demonstrated large evolutionary distances between the Tet M and Tet O variants on one hand and the Tet K and Tet L variants on the other hand. The pSTE1-encoded Tet proved to be closely related to the Tet L proteins originally found on small Bacillus plasmids. The observed extensive similarities in the nucleotide sequences of the tet genes and in the deduced Tet amino acid sequences allowed the assignment of the pSTE1-encoded Tet to the Tet proteins of class L.
In vitro evaluation of E1077, a new cephalosporin with a broad antibacterial spectrum
Authors: Watanabe N , Hiruma R , Katsu K
Published: June 2012

E1077 is a novel parenteral cephalosporin with a wide spectrum of potent antibacterial activity against aerobic and anaerobic gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Against methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, E1077 was twice as active as cefpirome, with an MIC for 90% of strains tested (MIC90) of 0.78 micrograms/ml. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus was moderately to highly resistant to E1077, but E1077 was at least twice as active as other beta-lactams tested. Against Enterococcus faecalis, E1077 was the most active of the cephalosporins tested (MIC90, 12.5 micrograms/ml) and was at least fourfold more active than cefpirome and ceftazidime. At concentrations of less than or equal to 0.78 micrograms/ml, E1077 inhibited 90% of streptococci and most of the members of the family Enterobacteriaceae tested, with the exceptions of Serratia marcescens and Proteus vulgaris, for which the MIC90s of E1077 were both 3.13 micrograms/ml. Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E1077 was two- to fourfold more active than cefpirome and ceftazidime. For the anaerobes, E1077 was as active against Bacteroides fragilis as was cefuzonam, and its activity was fourfold higher than those of cefpirome and ceftazidime. E1077 was at least as resistant as cefpirome to hydrolysis by various beta-lactamases, and these enzymes had a low affinity for E1077.