Cephapirin: In Vitro Antibacterial Spectrum

Cephapirin, a new semisynthetic cephalosporin derivative, was found to have an antibacterial spectrum similar to that of cephalothin. Staphylococcus aureus was inhibited by cephapirin concentrations of 0.09 to 12.5 mug/ml. S. epidermidis, S. viridans, S. pyogenes, and Diplococcus pneumonia isolates were inhibited by less than 1 mug/ml. The Enterococcus required a concentration of 25 mug of antibiotic per ml for inhibition. Approximately 65% of Escherichia coli, and all Klebsiella, indole-negative Proteus, and Salmonella strains tested were inhibited by the drug. Serratia, Pseudomonas, indole-positive Proteus, and Erwinia strains were highly resistant. Inoculum size was not an important factor in determining the level of sensitivity of S. aureus to cephapirin. The antibiotic does not appear to be significantly bound to serum protein. In vitro development of resistance to the drug was demonstrated with two isolates of S. aureus.     

Population biology of Gram-positive pathogens: high-risk clones for dissemination of antibiotic resistance

Infections caused by multiresistant Gram-positive bacteria represent a major health burden in the community as well as in hospitalized patients. Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are well-known pathogens of hospitalized patients, frequently linked with resistance against multiple antibiotics, compromising effective therapy. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes are important pathogens in the community and S. aureus has recently emerged as an important community-acquired pathogen. Population genetic studies reveal that recombination prevails as a driving force of genetic diversity in E. faecium, E. faecalis, S. pneumoniae and S. pyogenes, and thus, these species are weakly clonal. Although recombination has a relatively modest role driving the genetic variation of the core genome of S. aureus, the horizontal acquisition of resistance and virulence genes plays a key role in the emergence of new clinically relevant clones in this species. In this review, we discuss the population genetics of E. faecium, E. faecalis, S. pneumoniae, S. pyogenes and S. aureus. Knowledge of the population structure of these pathogens is not only highly relevant for (molecular) epidemiological research but also for identifying the genetic variation that underlies changes in clinical behaviour, to improve our understanding of the pathogenic behaviour of particular clones and to identify novel targets for vaccines or immunotherapy.     

Recent advances in the preclinical evaluation of the topical antibacterial agent REP8839

REP8839 is a synthetic fluorovinylthiophene-containing diaryldiamine that inhibits bacterial methionyl tRNA synthetase (MetRS) and is a new chemical entity that represents a novel pharmacological class. The compound has potent in vitro antibacterial activity against many clinically important Gram-positive bacteria including the major skin pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. In light of the emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus in the community and increasing resistance to mupirocin, REP8839 is being evaluated as a topical agent for the treatment of superficial skin infections. REP8839 was active against resistant phenotypes of S. aureus and can be formulated at high concentrations to minimize the development of resistance. A formulation of REP8839 has demonstrated efficacy in a porcine partial thickness wound infection model against mupirocin-resistant S. aureus.     

Antibacterial properties of larval secretions of the blowfly, Lucilia sericata

The antibacterial properties of secretions aseptically collected from larvae of the greenbottle fly Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were examined. These investigations revealed the presence of small (<1 kDa) antibacterial factor(s) within the larval secretions, active against a range of bacteria. These include the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, both methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Streptococcus pyogenes and to a lesser extent the Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These secretions were shown to be highly stable as a freeze-dried preparation and, considering the activity against organisms typically associated with clinical infection, may be a source of novel antibiotic-like compounds that may be used for infection control and in the fight against MRSA.     

SIC,a secreted protein of Streptococcus pyogenes that inactivates antibacterial peptides

Some isolates of the significant human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes, including virulent strains of the M1 serotype, secrete protein SIC. This molecule, secreted in large quantities, interferes with complement function. As a result of natural selection, SIC shows a high degree of variation. Here we provide a plausible explanation for this variation and the fact that strains of the M1 serotype are the most frequent cause of severe invasive S. pyogenes infections. Thus, protein SIC was found to inactivate human neutrophil alpha-defensin and LL-37, two major antibacterial peptides involved in bacterial clearance. This inactivation protected S. pyogenes against the antibacterial effect of the peptides. Moreover, SIC isolated from S. pyogenes of the M1 serotype was more powerful in this respect than SIC variants from strains of M serotypes 12 and 55, serotypes rarely connected with invasive infections.     

Antibacterial activity of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Acacia aroma Gill. ex Hook et Arn

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of seven ethanolic extracts and three aqueous extracts from various parts (leaves, stems and flowers) of A. aroma against 163 strains of antibiotic multi-resistant bacteria. The disc diffusion assay was performed to evaluate antibacterial activity of the A. aroma crude extracts, against several Gram-positive bacteria (E. faecalis, S. aureus, coagulase-negative stahylococci, S. pyogenes, S. agalactiae, S. aureus ATCC 29213, E. faecalis ATCC 29212) and Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli., K. pneumoniae, P. mirabilis, E. cloacae, S. marcescens, M morganii, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, S. maltophilia, E. coli ATCC 35218, P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853, E. coli ATCC 25922). All ethanolic extracts showed activity against gram-positive bacteria. Among all obtained extracts, only leaf and flower fluid extracts showed activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Based on this bioassay, leaf fluid extracts tended to be the most potent, followed by flower fluid extracts. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of extracts and antibiotics were comparatively determined by agar and broth dilution methods. Both extracts were active against S. aureus, coagulase-negative stahylococci, E. faecalis and E. faecium and all tested Gram-negative bacteria with MIC values from 0.067 to 0.308 mg/ml. In this study the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were identical or twice as high than the corresponding MIC for leaf extracts and four or eight times higher than MIC values for flower extracts. This may indicate a bactericidal effect. Stored extracts have similar antibacterial activity as recently obtained extracts. The A. aroma extracts of leaves and flowers may be useful as antibacterial agents against Gram- negative and Gram-positive antibiotic multi-resistant microorganisms.     

Metal-based sulfonamides: their preparation, characterization and in-vitro antibacterial, antifungal & cytotoxic properties. X-ray structure of 4-[(2-hydroxybenzylidene) amino] benzenesulfonamide

Synthesis, characterization and biological studies of Schiff base-derived sulfonamides and their Co (II), Cu (II), Ni (II) and Zn (II) complexes have been reported and screened for in-vitro antibacterial activity against six Gram-negative; E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, P. mirabilis, S. typhi and S. dysenteriae and four Gram-positive; B. cereus, C. diphtheriae, S. aureus and S. pyogenes bacterial strains and for in-vitro antifungal activity against T. longifusus, C. albicans, A. flavus, M. canis, F. solani, and C. glaberata. All compounds showed moderate to significant antibacterial activity, however, the zinc (II) complexes were found to be more active. Some of the compounds also showed significant antifungal activity against various fungal strains. Only compounds (6) and (10) displayed potent cytotoxic activity with LD(50) = 4.644 x 10(- 4) and 4.106 x 10(- 4) moles/mL respectively, against Artemia salina. The X-ray structure of 4-[(2-hydroxybenzylidene)amino]benzenesulfonamide is also reported.     

Synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of a novel series of rifabutin-like spirorifamycins

A novel series of spirorifamycins was synthesized and their antibacterial activity evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. This new series of rifamycins shows excellent activity against Staphylococcus aureus that is equivalent to rifabutin. However, some compounds of the series exhibit lower MICs than rifabutin against rifampin-resistant strains of S. aureus. Further, compound 2e exhibits comparable efficacy in vivo in a murine model of S. aureus septicemia model following administration by either oral or parenteral dosing routes.     

产生物活性物质海洋放线菌的筛选和鉴定

本实验从辽宁大连海域的海水、海泥和海参养殖圈的样品中分离得到38株海洋放线菌,以金黄色葡萄球菌、溶壁微球菌、枯草芽孢杆菌、副溶血性弧菌和铜绿假单胞杆菌为指示菌,筛选出两株抑菌活性高的菌株,分别命名为HS-B31和HS-B34。16S r DNA测序鉴定及构建系统发育树的结果显示,它们都属于放线菌目、链霉菌属的不同种。对两株链霉菌的发酵上清液进行萃取、粗提和浓缩得到粗提物,即B31和B34;抗菌作用的结果显示,这两种粗提物的抗菌效果均为显著。经薄层层析分析,并利用制备型层析板对粗提物B31和B34进行活性物质的分离制备,共得到八个组分,即B31-1、B31-2、B31-3、B31-4、B31-5和B34-1、B34-2、B34-3。用滤纸片法对这些组分进行抗菌检测,结果显示组分B31-3和B34-3不仅对革兰氏阳性菌金黄色葡萄球菌有较好的抑菌作用,而且对海洋致病菌革兰氏阴性菌副溶血性弧菌也显示出较强的抑菌效果。研究为新型抗生素的研制和应用提供了微生物新资源。     

In vitro antibacterial activity and physicochemical properties of a crude methanol extract of the larvae of the blow fly Lucilia cuprina

The emergence of multidrug‐resistant bacterial strains has prompted the reintroduction of maggot therapy in the treatment of chronic, infected wounds. Many previous studies have demonstrated the potent antibacterial activity of larval excretions/secretions of the blowfly Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera:Calliphoridae) against bacteria. However, the antibacterial activity of its sibling species, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera:Calliphoridae) against a wide range of pathogenic bacteria has never been determined. The aim of this study was to develop a new procedure to produce whole body extract of larvae of L. cuprina via methanol extraction as well as to demonstrate the in vitro antibacterial activity of this extract against seven selected wound pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin‐resistant S. aureus, S. epidermidis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli). The turbidimetric assay demonstrated that L. cuprina larval extract was significantly potent against all bacteria tested (P < 0.001). Additionally, colony‐forming unit (CFU), agar well diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration assays have confirmed the apparent potency of larval extract against P. aeruginosa. The reconstituted larval extract was highly robust and thermally stable. These observations substantiated the feasibility of the methanol extraction method in the production of larval extract.     

A new class of nifuroxazide analogues: synthesis of 5-nitrothiophene derivatives with antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been an increasing problem worldwide since the initial reports over 40 years ago. To examine new drug leads with potential antibacterial activities, 14 p-substituted benzoic acid [(5-nitro-thiophen-2-yl)-methylene]-hydrazides were designed, synthesized, and tested against standard and multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains by serial dilution tests. All compounds exhibited significant bacteriostatic activity and some of them also showed bactericidal activity. The results confirmed the potential of this class of compounds as an alternative for the development of selective antimicrobial agents.     

Screening of some plants used in the Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases

Extracts of 13 Brazilian medicinal plants were screened for their antimicrobial activity against bacteria and yeasts. Of these, 10 plant extracts showed varied levels of antibacterial activity. Piper regnellii presented a good activity against Staphylococus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, a moderate activity on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and a weak activity against Escherichia coli. Punica granatum showed good activity on S. aureus and was inactive against the other standard strains. Eugenia uniflora presented moderate activity on both S. aureus and E. coli. Psidium guajava,Tanacetum vulgare, Arctium lappa, Mikania glomerata, Sambucus canadensis, Plantago major and Erythrina speciosa presented some degree of antibacterial activity. Spilanthes acmella, Lippia alba, and Achillea millefolium were considered inactive. Five of the plant extracts presented compounds with Rf values similar to the antibacterial compounds visible on bioautogram. Of these, three plants belong to the Asteraceae family. This may mean that the same compounds are responsible for the antibacterial activity in these plants. Anticandidal activity was detected in nine plant extracts (P. guajava, E. uniflora, P. granatum, A. lappa, T. vulgare, M. glomerata, L. alba, P. regnellii, and P. major). The results might explain the ethnobotanical use of the studied species for the treatment of various infectious diseases.     

美洲大蠊成虫肠道抗细菌共生放线菌的筛选及鉴定

【目的】鉴于野外美洲大蠊Periplaneta americana对恶劣环境适应性强,本研究旨在从云南省大理州的野外美洲大蠊成虫肠道中分离、筛选出抗细菌活性放线菌,为抗生素开发提供菌种资源。【方法】采用涂布平板法和平板划线法对美洲大蠊成虫肠道放线菌进行分离;以金黄色葡萄球菌Staphylococcus aureus、耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌、铜绿假单胞菌Pseudomonas aeruginosa、粪肠球菌Enterococcus faecalis、大肠杆菌Escherichia coli和鼠伤寒沙门氏菌Salmonella typhimurium共6种人体病原细菌为指示菌株,采用牛津杯法对分离自这些放线菌的次生代谢产物进行抗菌活性测定;通过形态学特征和16S rRNA基因序列分析,对具有广谱和明显抗菌活性的放线菌进行鉴定,并经16SrRNA基因序列的BlAST同源性比对及系统发育分析确定它们的分类地位。【结果】从美洲大蠊成虫肠道共分离获得41株放线菌。抗菌活性测定结果表明,34株(82.9%)放线菌对至少1种指示病原细菌具有抑制作用,其中有7株对3种以上病原细菌具有抑制作用,9株表现...     

Determination of selectivity and efficacy of fatty acid synthesis inhibitors

Type II fatty acid synthesis (FASII) is essential to bacterial cell viability and is a promising target for the development of novel antibiotics. In the past decade, a few inhibitors have been identified for this pathway, but none of them lend themselves to drug development. To find better inhibitors that are potential drug candidates, we developed a high throughput assay that identifies inhibitors simultaneously against multiple targets within the FASII pathway of most bacterial pathogens. We demonstrated that the inverse t(1/2) value of the FASII enzyme-catalyzed reaction gives a measure of FASII activity. The Km values of octanoyl-CoA and lauroyl-CoA were determined to be 1.1 +/- 0.3 and 10 +/- 2.7 microM in Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, respectively. The effects of free metals and reducing agents on enzyme activity showed an inhibition hierarchy of Zn2+ > Ca2+ > Mn2+ > Mg2+; no inhibition was found with beta-mercaptoethanol or dithiothreitol. We used this assay to screen the natural product libraries and isolated an inhibitor, bischloroanthrabenzoxocinone (BABX) with a new structure. BABX showed IC50 values of 11.4 and 35.3 microg/ml in the S. aureus and Escherichia coli FASII assays, respectively, and good antibacterial activities against S. aureus and permeable E. coli strains with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 microg/ml. Furthermore, the effectiveness, selectivity, and the in vitro and in vivo correlations of BABX as well as other fatty acid inhibitors were elucidated, which will aid in future drug discovery.     

Biological activities of Ginkgo extracts

The biological activity of methanolic the extracts of leaves, roots, leaf-derived callus, root-derived callus, ginkolide A, ginkgolide B, bilobalide and a commercial Ginkgo product (Tanakan) was assessed. Bioassays consisted of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-induced potato tumor assay and a Kirby-Bauer microbial sensitivity assay with pure strains of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus pyogenes. Methanolic extracts of leaves, leaf-derived callus, root-derived callus, bilobalide and Tanakan inhibited tumor formation significantly, but more weakly than the positive control, camptothecin. No activity against E. coli was detected, but extracts from both callus types inhibited the growth of K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, S. epidermidis and S. pyogenes. All extracts and reference compounds inhibited the growth of S. pyogenes. Leaf and root tissues contained the highest levels of ginkgolide A, as compared to the callus tissues; leaf tissue contained more of all three marker compounds than the callus tissues.     

金黄色葡萄球菌拮抗菌株的筛选鉴定及其抗菌物质分析

【背景】植物内生菌的次生代谢产物是新型天然活性物质的重要来源。【目的】从芍药内生细菌中筛选对金黄色葡萄球菌有抑菌活性的菌株和次生代谢产物。【方法】采用平板对峙法筛选拮抗菌株,根据形态学特征和分子生物学的方法鉴定菌株,PCR扩增检测合成脂肽类物质的功能基因;运用牛津杯法依次测定内生细菌发酵液和脂肽类粗提物的抑菌活性,利用Sephadex LH-20凝胶层析分离脂肽类物质,利用基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱分析具有抑菌作用的分离组分。【结果】共筛选出13株对金黄色葡萄球菌具有不同程度抑制作用的内生菌株,其中菌株SY11的抑菌作用最为显著,其发酵液和脂肽类粗提物均具有较强的抑制作用。结合形态学鉴定以及16S r RNA基因序列分析,鉴定其为解淀粉芽孢杆菌(Bacillusamyloliquefaciens)。PCR扩增检测表明菌株SY11含有3个合成脂肽类物质的功能基因fenA、ituD和srfkn,推测该菌株可能具有合成脂肽类物质的能力。根据具有抑菌活性分离组分的质谱分析结果,推测其有效物质的主要成分为Bacillomycin D。【结论】解淀粉芽孢杆菌SY11对金黄色葡萄球菌有良好抑制效果,其脂肽类粗提物也具有较强的体外抑菌活性。本研究为芍药内生细菌的开发应用奠定了基础。     

Experimental and clinical study of nitazol as an antibacterial drug in the complex treatment of peritonitis

Antibacterial properties of the Soviet drug nitazol which is a derivative of imidazole were studied. It was shown that nitazol in a dose of 4-8 micrograms/ml was highly active against gram-negative nonsporulating anaerobes, gram-positive anaerobic cocci and spore-forming Clostridia spp. Unlike metronidazole, it was efficient against both standard and clinical strains of facultative anaerobes such as E. coli, S. aureus and Klebsiella spp. isolated from patients with peritonitis and being poly-resistant to antibiotics. It was found in vitro that the antibacterial effect of nitazol was higher when it was used in combination with some antibiotics. It was demonstrated on experimental models of peritonitis caused by Staphylococcus spp. and E. coli in mice that nitazol used alone or in combination with gentamicin had a favourable effect on the animal survival and lifespan. The combination of nitazol with gentamicin was applied in the combined treatment of appendicular peritonitis in 80 children and its high therapeutic efficacy was stated. Nitazol is useful as an antibacterial drug in the combined treatment of children with purulent peritonitis.     

In-vitro antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic activities of some coumarins and their metal complexes

A series of new antibacterial and antifungal coumarin-derived compounds and their transition metal complexes [cobalt (II), copper (II), nickel (II) and zinc (II)] have been synthesized, characterized and screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, Bacillus cereus, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes bacterial strains and for in vitro antifungal activity against Trichophyton longifusus, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, Microsporum canis, Fusarium solani, Candida glaberata. The results of these studies show the metal complexes to be more antibacterial and antifungal as compared to the uncomplexed coumarins. The brine shrimp bioassay was also carried out to study their in vitro cytotoxic properties.     

In vitro effect of some Indian honeys on Staphylococcus aureus from wounds

Staphylococcus aureus is the most frequently isolated pathogen from wounds with multiple resistances to antibiotics. Honey has been demonstrated and reported to be effective antibacterial agent on Gram positive and Gram negative organisms. Hence, the present study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial effect of Indian honeys on Staphylococcus aureus obtained from wounds. A total of 123 Staphylococcus aureus isolates along with ATCC 25923 were categorized as sensitive, multi drug resistant (MDR) and non-MDR strains. Out of total nine Indian honeys (three each of unifloral, multifloral and branded marketed honey) used, three unifloral and three multifloral honey samples showed antibacterial activity against all the organisms tested by Agar diffusion method but not the branded marketed honeys. The MIC values of all honey samples for all studied Staphylococcus aureus isolates ranged between 5-15% (v/v). Unifloral honey samples showed higher antibacterial activity than multifloral honey. The single sample of Jambhul honey showed the highest activity. Thus, Indian honeys were found to be effective for their antimicrobial activity on sensitive, non-MDR, MDR and ATCC strains of S. aureus.     

Antibacterial and bactericidal activities of tea extracts and catechins against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus]

We examined tea extract, (-) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) and theaflavin digallate (TF3) for their antibacterial and bactericidal activities against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and food poisoning strains of S. aureus. Twenty percent tea extract (50 microliters), EGCg (63 micrograms) and TF3 (125 micrograms) added to one ml of culture medium each inhibited the growth of all strains of MRSA and food poisoning S. aureus tested. Tea extract showed also a bactericidal activity against MRSA even at the same concentration of as in ordinarily brewed tea. EGCg at a concentration of 250 micrograms/ml showed a bactericidal activity against MRSA but not against food poisoning S. aureus, but at 500 micrograms/ml reduced markedly the viable number within 48h. These results suggest that tea and catechin can be used as prophylactic agents against MRSA infection.