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JAC Advance Access originally published online on September 20, 2002
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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


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