The use of ampicillin/sulbactam (Unasyn) in treating inflammatory urological diseases

Unasyn is a combination of ampicillin, a bactericidal antibiotic, and sulbactam, an inhibitor of beta-lactamases. It was used in treatment of 36 patients with urogenital infections. The combination was administered intravenously and in the main intramuscularly. The treatment course amounted to 7-10 days. The average daily dose was 6 to 9 g. 22 patients with acute nonocclusive pyelonephritis were treated with the combination and its clinical and bacteriological efficacy was stated in 95 per cent of the cases. An excellent clinical effect of the combination was observed in 6 patients with acute epididymitis. A clinical improvement was also observed in the treatment of the patients with acute prostatitis and chronic renal infections. Unasyn proved to be a highly efficient antibacterial combination with regard to gram-positive flora and colon bacilli as representatives of gram-negative organisms. Satisfactory results were also stated in the treatment of infections caused by Proteus spp. Complete elimination of the pathogen was achieved in 57.7 per cent of the cases. No adverse reactions to Unasyn except pain in the site of the injection were recorded.     

Postantibiotic effect of ampicillin/sulbactam against mycobacteria.

The postantibiotic effect (PAE) is an important pharmacodynamic property of antibiotics. Most drugs continue to exert a suppressive effect on the growth of bacteria, both in vitro and in vivo, even after the drug concentrations have fallen below detectable levels. Only limited information is available on the PAE of slow-growing organisms like mycobacteria. The PAE of ampicillin/sulbactam (Unasyn) was investigated against six species of mycobacteria, viz Mycobacterium avium, M. africanum, M. bovis BCG, M. simiae, M. scrofulaceum and M. tuberculosis H37Ra, by spectrophotometry. The cell counter method was also used in one set of experiments. The bacteria were exposed to ampicillin/sulbactam for 2 h, 24 h, 72 h or 7-10 days. Five concentrations, 5, 10, 50 or 100 micrograms/ml, of the drug were tested. Afterwards, the bacteria were washed free of Unasyn and allowed to multiply. Treatment of the mycobacteria for 2 h did not produce any PAE, although 100 micrograms/ml of the drug caused slower growth. Exposure to 50, 60, or 100 micrograms/ml, resulted in a prolonged PAE of approximately 3 days. The data on the PAE of Unasyn may be of clinical relevance in determining dosage regimens of the drug.     

Reversal of drug resistance in Mycobacterium leprae by ampicillin/sulbactam.

The multiplication of Mycobacterium leprae in foot pads of experimentally-infected mice was suppressed by intramuscular administration of ampicillin combined with sulbactam or YTR-830H, two potent inhibitors of beta-lactamase in the bacteria. The antibiotic or the inhibitors by themselves were inactive. Ampicillin/sulbactam also inhibited the growth of drug-resistant M. leprae which grew in the presence of rifampin or dapsone. The finding provides a new approach to treat leprosy and to overcome drug resistance of the mycobacteria.     

Synthesis and antibacterial activity evaluation of a novel cotton fiber (Gossypium barbadense) ampicillin derivative

We prepared cellulose cotton fibers containing ampicillin moieties and evaluated their antibacterial activity. In spite of recent progress in experimental and clinical medicine, the problem of chronic wounds treatment remains to be solved. In fact conventional methods are based on solutions of antibiotics and antiseptics and ointment bandages but the efficacy of this method is low and so the idea to use modified cotton gauzes would have to prevent infections insorgence during wounds healing. Ampicillin, a large spectrum antibiotic, was covalently coupled to cellulose backbone of hydrophilic cotton fibers by a heterogeneous synthesis to produce a functionalized biopolymer with a satisfactory degree of substitution (DS) and antibacterial activity. The obtained biopolymer was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Finally, the antibacterial activity in inhibiting microorganism growth in Petri dishes, was evaluated. The results suggested that these biomaterials posses an excellent “in vitro” antibacterial activity and so they can be efficiently employed in biomedical fields for chronic wounds management to ensure a valid protection against infections and contaminations. Biopolymers so functionalized were found to be very efficient to contrast sensible bacteria growth.     

人工湿地中指示与病原微生物动态分布及相关性分析

选择总大肠菌群(total coliforms)、粪大肠菌群(fecal coliforms)、粪链球菌(fecal streptococci)、大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)、产气荚膜梭菌(Clostridium perfringens)和沙门氏菌(Salmonella spp.)6种指示和病原微生物,采用多管发酵法和倾注平板法研究其在自由表面流人工湿地中的去除效果、相关性及动态分布特征.结果表明:人工湿地进水中沙门氏菌数量最多,其次为总大肠菌群、粪大肠菌群、产气荚膜梭菌和大肠杆菌,粪链球菌数量最低;人工湿地对不同指示和病原微生物去除效果存在差异,对总大肠菌群、粪大肠菌群和大肠杆菌去除效果最好,年平均去除率分别为94.1％、93.4％和84.0％;对沙门氏菌和产气荚膜梭菌去除效果较差,年平均去除率分别为55.8％和63.6％,并且存在较大波动;出水中粪链球菌数量高于进水;人工湿地对指示和病原微生物的去除效果在不同季节间无显著差异,但迸水中总大肠菌群数量、进出水中沙门氏菌数量及进水中产气英膜梭菌数量在不同季节间存在差异.相关性分析表明,总大肠菌群、粪大肠菌群以及大肠杆菌之间存在较强相关性,沙门氏菌和粪大肠菌群以及产气荚膜梭菌和总大肠菌群、粪大肠菌群间存在弱相关性.     

舒巴坦与亚胺培南对多重耐药鲍曼不动杆菌体外联合抗菌活性研究

目的评价舒巴坦与亚胺培南对临床分离的80株多重耐药鲍曼不动杆菌的体外联合抗菌活性,为临床治疗多重耐药鲍曼不动杆菌的感染提供实验依据。方法采用琼脂稀释、棋盘设计法测定舒巴坦与亚胺培南单用及联合应用对临床分离的80株多重耐药鲍曼不动杆菌的最小抑菌浓度（MIC）,并计算抑菌浓度指数（FIC）,判定联合效应：FIC≤0．5为协同作用,0．5〈FIC≤1．0为相加作用,1．0〈FIC≤2．0为无关作用,FIC〉2．0为拈抗作用。结果舒巴坦与亚胺培南联州后,两种药物对多重耐药鲍曼不动杆菌的MIC值均显著降低,FIC指数在0—0．5、0．5～1的百分率为12．5％、85．0％。结论舒巴坦与亚胺培南联用对多重耐药鲍曼不动杆菌的抗菌作用主要呈现协同和相加作用,并以相加作用为主。     

Mouthparts of the bark beetle (Ips acuminatus) as a possible carrier of pathogenic microorganisms

The bark beetle Ips acuminatus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) has been recently reported as one of the most serious secondary pests of pine trees. Since the adult beetles chew the sapwood to create tunnels, they have developed effective drilling mouthparts enough to make galleries directly into the heartwood of the tree. The mouthparts of this bark beetle exhibit typical morphology of mycophagous coleopteran beetles and have those characteristics of chewing mouthparts. Both maxillary and labial palpi have the functions of directing the food to the mouth and holding it while the mandibles chew the food. Although this bark beetle did not have prothoracic mycangial cavities, yeast-like spores were concentrated at the invaginated surface of mouthparts where cuticular hairs are densely packed. In particular, the cuticular surface around the base segments of these palpi has sufficient spaces to accommodate microorganisms during the series of drilling or feeding processes. Therefore, this paper reports detailed observation of the cuticular structure of the mouthpart using the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) for the purpose of demonstrating its possible implication to act as external carriers of pathogenic microorganisms.     

Electron microscopic study of the combined action of ampicillin and cephalexin on E. coli]

The data of electron microscopy study of morphological variation of E. coli, strain 423 in the logarithmic phase after exposure to ampicillin (2 gamma/ml) and cephalexin (4 gamma/ml) are presented. Pronounced ultrastructural changes not only in the cell wall but also in the cytoplasm were found. After exposure to ampicillin alone changes of the same type were observed. However, after exposure to the combination of the 2 antibiotics these changes were more pronounced and observed in the predominating part of the cells. Examination of ultrathin slices of the strain treated with cephalexin revealed no ultrastructural changes. The morphological changes in the cells of E. coli, strain 423 after its treatment with ampicillin and cephalexin combination were due mainly to ampicillin effect, while cephalexin increased the level of the changes.     

Mode of antibacterial action of dodine (dodecylguanidine monoacetate) in Pseudomonas syringae.

Treatment of Pseudomonas syringae cells with 50 microM dodecylguanidine monoacetate (dodine) resulted in the rapid degradation and release of RNA and cell lysis. Higher concentrations resulted in a progressive decrease in the intensity of these responses, and the appearance of extensive zones of coagulated cytoplasm, indicating that the decrease in RNA degradation probably resulted from an inhibition of the RNases, due to protein denaturation. Dodine also induced expansion of the outer membrane, with the formation of protuberances and intracellular myelin-like structures, which were already evident after 1 min of treatment, indicating that dodine is able to cross the outer and cytoplasmic membranes rather rapidly, and to form, alone or in combination with cell phospholipids and proteins, considerable amounts of triple-layered profiles. In P. syringae cells, saturation levels of dodine corresponded to more than five times the amount needed to form a close-packed monolayer of dodine on the cell surface. The different membranous structures formed in dodine-treated cells, and the coagulation of the cytoplasm, seem to be responsible for the uptake of such high amounts of dodine. The uptake isotherm was essentially Langmuirian. The results presented in this and previous reports indicate that the antibacterial activity of dodine on P. syringae is mainly the result of the action of micelles of the surfactant.     

Photodynamic activity of water-soluble phthalocyanine zinc(II) complexes against pathogenic microorganisms

Photodynamic activity of tetrakis-(3-methylpyridyloxy)- and tetrakis-(4-sulfophenoxy)-phthalocyanine zinc(II) toward the gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, the gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the fungi Candida albicans was studied. The drug uptake dependency with an inverse behavior to the cell density was observed. The cationic photosensitizer completely inactivated S. aureus and C. albicans, and with 4 log10 P. aeruginosa. The photoinactivation at mild experimental conditions, such as drug dose of 1.5 microM and fluence of 50 mW cm(-2) for 10 min irradiation time, was shown.