Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Vol 39, 69-73, Copyright © 1997 by The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
JH Jorgensen and ML McElmeel
Quinupristin/dalfopristin is an injectable streptogramin antibiotic that is
constituted in a 30:70 (w/w) ratio of the two components. Quinupristin and
dalfopristin are thought to act synergically by binding to two separate
sites on the bacterial 50S ribosomal subunit. The in-vitro activities of
the two components separately and together in different ratios were
determined for a collection of 100 Haemophilus influenzae strains
representing various antimicrobial resistance phenotypes. The NCCLS
microdilution susceptibility testing procedure incorporating Haemophilus
test medium (HTM) broth was used to determine MICs of quinupristin,
dalfopristin and seven other antimicrobial agents. The MIC50 and MIC90
values were 4 and 8, 4 and 16, and 64 and 128 mg/L for
quinupristin/dalfopristin (30:70), dalfopristin and quinupristin,
respectively. MICs of quinupristin and dalfopristin were also determined in
Mueller-Hinton lysed horse blood broth and by HTM agar dilution testing.
Compared with HTM broth-derived results, the MICs of
quinupristin/dalfopristin and its components were the same or one dilution
higher in lysed horse blood and HTM agar incubated in air, and were
equivalent or one dilution lower in HTM agar incubated in a CO2 atmosphere.
The MICs of quinupristin and dalfopristin separately or together were
directly proportional to erythromycin MICs, but were otherwise unaffected
by any of the resistance mechanisms represented in these strains. MICs of
quinupristin and dalfopristin combined in ratios of 10:90, 70:30 and 90:10
did not differ significantly from those of the 30:70 ratio. Thus, unlike
the synergic activity noted against Gram- positive bacteria, the activity
of quinupristin/dalfopristin against H. influenzae appears to be due almost
entirely to the dalfopristin component of the combination.
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Activity of quinupristin/dalfopristin and its components against Haemophilus influenzae
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7750, USA.
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