MPphiWR-2, a cryptic phage associated withMicromonospora purpurea ATCC 15835

Summary A previously undescribed cryptic phage was found associated withMicromonospora purpurea ATCC 15835.     

The prevalence of gentamicin 2'-N-acetyltransferase in the Proteeae and its role in the O-acetylation of peptidoglycan

Abstract The prevalence of aac(2')-Ia , a gene coding for gentamicin 2'-JV-acetyltransferase in Providenda stuartii , among species of the Proteeae was investigated to determine if it is a common resistance factor and whether the correlation observed in P. stuartii between its expression and the levels of peptidoglycan O -acetylation represents a general feature of bacteria producing this form of modified peptidoglycan. An evaluation of the MICs of gentamicin for each of the species of the Proteeae did not reveal any apparent relationship between resistance and the degree of O-acetylation of peptidoglycan. The entire aac(2')-Ia gene was used as a probe in Southern hybridization experiments against genomic DNA from each species of the Proteeae. A sequence with strong homology to aac(2')-Ia was present only in Proteus penneri while weak hybridization was also observed to the restriction digested DNA from Providenda rettgeri . Other bacteria that O -acetylate peptidoglycan were also screened with this probe and a homologous DNA sequence was only found in Neisseria subflava . These data suggest that AAC(2')-Ia may contribute to the rO -acetylation of peptidoglycan in P. stuartii , but a more specific enzyme must also be produced for this function.     

Influence of Feeding Schedule on Chronopharmacological Aspects of Gentamicin in Mice

The effects of the time of day of drug administration on the subchronic toxicity and pharmacokinetics of gentamicin, as well as the role of feeding schedule on circadian rhythms, were investigated in mice. ICR male mice were housed in a light-dark (LD) cycle (12:12) with food and water ad libitum (ALF) or under a time-restricted feeding (TRF) schedule (feeding time: 8 h during the light phase) for 1 day or 14 days before drug administration. The animals were given a single subcutaneous dose of gentamicin 180 mg/kg for the kinetic studies and subcutaneous doses of gentamicin 180 mg/kg/day for 14 days or 220 mg/kg/day for 18 days for the subchronic toxicity studies. A significant dosing-time dependency was shown for mortality and body weight loss, with higher values at midlight and lower ones at the middark (p > 0.05). A significant circadian rhythm was also found for gentamicin kinetics in ALF mice, with the highest clearance at middark and the lowest one at midlight (p > 0.01). The kinetic rhythm of gentamicin coincided well with the toxicity rhythm of the drug. The TRF schedule had a marked influence on the rhythms of gentamicin kinetics and toxicity, showing lowest clearance and higher toxicity at middark. The rhythm of subchronic toxicity of gentamicin seems to be due, at least in part, to the rhythm in kinetics and is strongly influenced by the feeding schedule. Thus, the timing of dosing is an important factor in the kinetics and the subchronic toxicity of gentamicin administration in mice, and the manipulation of feeding schedule can modify the rhythm of the toxicity by changing the rhythm of gentamicin kinetics.     

Listeriosis: therapeutic options

Since overt listeriosis occurs mainly in immunocompromised persons it is quite consistent to try to restore the hampered defence system by supportive measurements. For direct antimicrobial treatment a series of different antibiotics is available, since Listeria strains isolated from patients are in general susceptible to a wide range of antibiotics, except fosfomycin, quinolones and cephalosporins of the third generation, although a few exceptional strains exist. Unfortunately, most antibiotics are not bactericidal for Listeria. Drug combinations may exert a synergistic effect. Furthermore, the efficacy of therapy is limited by the fact of intracellular habitat of pathogenic Listeria. Few agents, such as macrolides and quinolones, are accumulated within host cells and may attack the intracellular Listeriae. The clinical experience shows that the combination of amoxicillin and gentamicin is the best option.     

Renoprotective effect of Erdosteine in rats against gentamicin nephrotoxicity: a comparison of 99mTc-DMSA uptake with biochemical studies

Erdosteine is a mucolytic agent having antioxidant properties through its active metabolites in acute injuries induced by pharmacological drugs. This study was designed to investigate the renoprotective potential of Erdosteine against gentamicin (GM)-induced renal dysfunction by using Technetium-99 m dimercaptosuccinic acid (Tc-99 m DMSA) uptake and scintigraphy in rats. For this purpose, male Wistar rats were randomly allotted into one of the four experimental groups: Control, Erdosteine, GM, and GM + Erdosteine groups. GM and GM + Erdosteine groups received 100 mg/kg GM intramuscularly for 6 days. In addition, Erdosteine and GM + Erdosteine groups received 50 mg/kg Erdosteine orally for 6 days. Renal function tests were assessed by serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine levels, as well as scintigraphic and tissue radioactivity measurements with Tc-99 m DMSA. Renal oxidative damage was determined by renal malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, by antioxidant enzyme activities; superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and activities of oxidant enzymes; xanthine oxidase (XO) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). GM administration resulted in marked renal lipid peroxidation, increased XO and MPO activities and decreased antioxidant enzyme activities. GM + Erdosteine group significantly had lower MDA levels, higher SOD and CAT activities and lower XO and MPO activities, when compared to GM. Also GM + Erdosteine had lower levels of serum BUN, creatinine and higher renal tissue Tc-99 m DMSA uptake and radioactivity with respect to GM. In conclusion, our results supported a protective role of Erdosteine in nephrotoxicity associated with GM treatment.     

几种氨基酸在庆大霉素生产中作用的研究

庆大霉素是氨基糖苷类广谱抗生素,其不仅用于临床治病,而且广泛应用于畜牧业。由于其发酵周期长,产素率低,生产成本高,因此改进生产方法势在必行。本文报道了在绛红色小单孢菌产生庆大霉素的培养过程中,添加一定量的甘氨酸、蛋氨酸、赖氨酸、酪氨酸能够有效地提高微生物细胞的代谢能力,缩短发酵培养周期,提高产素率。本方法是在小试（摇瓶）成功基础上,用5L玻璃发酵罐运转一个多月,取一个月的平均罐批数据表明：新方法较原工艺发酵周期缩短30% ~45%,罐批产量增加14% 左右,产素率提高30 % ~95%（因菌种生产能力不同而异）,产品质量符合中国药典2000版（CP2000）、英国药典2000版（BP2000）、美国药典26版（USP26）,生产成本大幅度降低,具有很强的市场竞争力。     

Fluorodensitometric evaluation of gentamicin from plasma and urine by high-performance thin-layer chromatography

High-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) analysis of gentamicin by in situ fluorodensitometric evaluation of its 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl) derivative is presented. The aminoglycoside components separated on silica gel plates using chloroform–methanol–20% ammonium hydroxide (2.4:2.2:1.5, v/v/v) as the mobile phase were reacted with NB-Cl to yield highly fluorescent derivatives. The calibration curves of gentamicin in water, plasma and urine were linear in the range 40–200 ng. The mean values of intercept, slope and correlation coefficient were 16.82±0.473, 6.83±0.015 and 0.9968±0.0017 for standard curves in water, 17.35±0.375, 6.85±0.018 and 0.9941±0.0012 for standard curves in plasma and 14.35±0.286, 6.86±0.002 and 0.9933+0.0011 for standard curves in urine respectively. The analytical technique was validated for within-day and day-to-day variation. The results indicate that HPTLC, coupled with in situ fluorodensitometry, is a reliable and valuable technique for quantitative analysis of the bulk drug gentamicin and gentamicin from urine and plasma.     

Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of the sisomicin biosynthetic gene cluster from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Micromonospora inyoensis</Emphasis>

Micromonospora inyoensis produces sisomicin (Sm), an aminoglycoside antibiotic. The gene cluster of sisomicin biosynthesis spanning ca. 47 kb consists of 37 ORFs encoding various proteins for sisomicin biosynthesis, regulation, resistance and transport. The comparative genetic studies on the biosynthetic genes of sisomicin and gentamicin (Gm) reveal a similar biosynthetic route and provide a framework for the future biosynthetic studies. An erratum to this article can be found at     

A comparison of the in vitro antimicrobial activity of liposomes containing meropenem and gentamicin

The antimicrobial activity of eight cationic, two neutral and three anionic liposome compositions containing meropenem and gentamicin was tested in vitro in broth and serum medium. The cationic formulations showed better antibacterial efficacy against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria than the anionic and neutral ones, regardless of the encapsulated drug. The most effective formulations were the cationic PC/DOPE/DOTAP 3:4:3 and PC/Chol/DOTAP 3:4:3, as the MICs with meropenem were 2 to 4 times lower than those of the free drug.     

A gene cluster for biosynthesis of kanamycin from Streptomyces kanamyceticus: comparison with gentamicin biosynthetic gene cluster

Gene clusters for the biosynthesis of kanamycin (Km) and gentamicin (Gm) were isolated from the genomic libraries of Streptomyces kanamyceticus and Micromonospora echinospora, respectively. The sequencing of the 47 kb-region of S. kanamyceticus genomic DNA revealed 40 putative open reading frames (ORFs) encoding Km biosynthetic proteins, regulatory proteins, and resistance and transport proteins. Similarly, the sequencing of 32.6 kb genomic DNA of M. echinospora revealed a Gm biosynthetic gene cluster flanked by resistant genes. Biosynthetic pathways for the formation of Km were proposed by the comparative study of biosynthetic genes. Out of 12 putative Km biosynthetic genes, kanA was expressed in Escherichia coli and determined its function as a 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose synthase. Furthermore, the acetylations of aminoglycoside-aminocyclitols (AmAcs) by Km acetyltransferase (KanM) were also demonstrated. The acetylated derivatives completely lost their antibacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis. The comparative genetic studies of Gm, Km, tobramycin (Tm), and butirosin (Bn) reveal their similar biosynthetic routes and provide a framework for the further biosynthetic studies.