Skip Navigation


JAC Advance Access originally published online on September 20, 2002
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
50/4/457    most recent
dkf180v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (5)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Braga, P. C.
Right arrow Articles by Ricci, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Braga, P. C.
Right arrow Articles by Ricci, D.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?


Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (2002) 50, 457-460
© 2002 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Differences in the susceptibility of Streptococcus pyogenes to rokitamycin and erythromycin A revealed by morphostructural atomic force microscopy

Pier Carlo Braga1,* and Davide Ricci2

1 Centre of Respiratory Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Vanvitelli 32, 20129 Milano; 2 Department of Biophysical Electronic Engineering, University of Genoa, Italy

Received 13 November 2001; returned 27 May 2002; revised 28 June 2002; accepted 17 July 2002

The aim of this study was to use atomic force microscopy (AFM), an innovative type of microscopy, to investigate the different behaviours of erythromycin A (a 14-membered ring) and rokitamycin (a 16-membered ring) in disrupting the morphology of Streptococcus pyogenes with the M phenotype. AFM scanning and sensing of the topography of a sample makes it possible to obtain simultaneous high-resolution digital measurements of the x, y and z coordinates at any point on the bacteria surface. The images obtained before and 2, 4 and 6 h after incubation with erythromycin A (32 mg/L) and rokitamycin (2 mg/L) clearly show that not even high concentrations of erythromycin A interfere with the M phenotype of S. pyogenes, whereas rokitamycin has a progressive action that leads to the formation of abnormally large cells, the loosening of chain structure and the formation of clusters.

Keywords: atomic force microscopy, Streptococcus pyogenes M phenotype, erythromycin A, rokitamycin

* Corresponding author. Tel: +39-2-5031-6990; Fax: +39-2-5031-6990; E-mail: piercarlo.braga{at}unimi.it


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Antimicrob. Agents Chemother.Home page
R. L. Soon, R. L. Nation, P. G. Hartley, I. Larson, and J. Li
Atomic Force Microscopy Investigation of the Morphology and Topography of Colistin-Heteroresistant Acinetobacter baumannii Strains as a Function of Growth Phase and in Response to Colistin Treatment
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., December 1, 2009; 53(12): 4979 - 4986.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.