JAC Advance Access originally published online on December 19, 2003
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (2004) 53, 247-251
© 2004 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
In vitro susceptibility of Bacillus anthracis to various antibacterial agents and their time–kill activity
1 The Triangle Research And Development Center, Kfar-Qaraa; 2 Department Of Human Microbiology Tel-Aviv University, School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv; 4 Infectious Diseases Unit, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv University School of Medicine, Tel Hashomer, Israel; 3 Toronto Centre for Antimicrobial Research & Evaluation, Department of Microbiology Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Received 23 June 2003; returned 24 July 2003; revised 8 October 2003; accepted 9 October 2003
Objectives: To investigate the in vitro acquisition of resistance to antibiotics by Bacillus anthracis.
Methods: The in vitro activities of 18 antibacterial agents against two strains of B. anthracis, the Sterne strain and the Russian anthrax vaccine strain ST-1, were tested by determining the MICs and by measuring the rates of antibiotic kill at 5x and 10x MIC.
Results: The fluoroquinolones ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin, the ß-lactams penicillin G and amoxicillin, the macrolide clarithromycin, the ketolide telithromycin, as well as clindamycin, rifampicin and quinupristin/dalfopristin had MICs in the range of 0.03–0.25 mg/L. Minocycline had an MIC of 0.03 mg/L, as did penicillin, against the ST-1 strain. Ciprofloxacin had an MIC of 0.03 mg/L against both strains. Erythromycin, vancomycin and the oxazolidinone linezolid were less active (MIC 0.5–2.5 mg/L). Ceftriaxone was the least active, having an MIC of 8.0 mg/L. Chloramphenicol was inactive (MIC > 256 mg/L). Quinupristin/dalfopristin, rifampicin and moxifloxacin showed the most rapid bacterial killing, achieving a complete eradication of detectable organisms (2 log10 reduction within 0.5–3 h and 4 log10 reduction within 0.5–4 h for both strains at concentrations of 5x and 10x the MIC). The ß-lactams and vancomycin demonstrated a 2–4 log10 reduction within 5–15 h. Ceftriaxone had a similar effect to penicillin and amoxicillin against the ST-1 strain, but a slower effect than these two ß-lactams against the Sterne strain. The macrolides, tetracyclines and linezolid demonstrated a lower kill rate, while chloramphenicol did not kill at all.
Conclusions: These data expand on the spectrum of agents recommended for the treatment of anthrax (ciprofloxacin, penicillin G and tetracyclines) and add new options, such as other fluoroquinolones, amoxicillin, rifampicin and quinupristin/dalfopristin, as potential therapeutic agents.
Keywords: anthrax, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, ß-lactams
* Correspondence address. Infectious Diseases Unit, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv University School of Medicine, Tel Hashomer 52621, Israel. Tel: +972-3-5345-389; Fax: +972-3-5347-081; E-mail: erubins{at}yahoo.com
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  R. G. Panchal, R. L. Ulrich, D. Lane, M. M. Butler, C. Houseweart, T. Opperman, J. D. Williams, N. P. Peet, D. T. Moir, T. Nguyen, et al. Novel Broad-Spectrum Bis-(Imidazolinylindole) Derivatives with Potent Antibacterial Activities against Antibiotic-Resistant Strains Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., October 1, 2009; 53(10): 4283 - 4291. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 I. Brook, A. Germana, D. E. Giraldo, T. D. Camp-Hyde, D. L. Bolduc, M. A. Foriska, T. B. Elliott, J. H. Thakar, M. O. Shoemaker, W. E. Jackson, et al. Clindamycin and quinolone therapy for Bacillus anthracis Sterne infection in 60Co-gamma-photon-irradiated and sham-irradiated mice J. Antimicrob. Chemother., December 1, 2005; 56(6): 1074 - 1080. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 I. Brook, D. E Giraldo, A. Germana, D. P Nicolau, W. E Jackson, T. B Elliott, J. H Thakar, M. O Shoemaker, and G D. Ledney Comparison of clarithromycin and ciprofloxacin therapy for Bacillus anthracis Sterne infection in mice with or without 60Co gamma-photon irradiation J. Med. Microbiol., December 1, 2005; 54(12): 1157 - 1162. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Athamna, M. Athamna, A. Nura, E. Shlyakov, D. J. Bast, D. Farrell, and E. Rubinstein Is In Vitro Antibiotic Combination More Effective than Single-Drug Therapy against Anthrax? Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., April 1, 2005; 49(4): 1323 - 1325. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. Steward, M. S. Lever, A. J. H. Simpson, A. M. Sefton, and T. J. G. Brooks Post-exposure prophylaxis of systemic anthrax in mice and treatment with fluoroquinolones J. Antimicrob. Chemother., July 1, 2004; 54(1): 95 - 99. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. J. Bast, A. Athamna, C. L. Duncan, J. C. S. de Azavedo, D. E. Low, G. Rahav, D. Farrell, and E. Rubinstein Type II topoisomerase mutations in Bacillus anthracis associated with high-level fluoroquinolone resistance J. Antimicrob. Chemother., July 1, 2004; 54(1): 90 - 94. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Athamna, M. Athamna, B. Medlej, D. J. Bast, and E. Rubinstein In vitro post-antibiotic effect of fluoroquinolones, macrolides, {beta}-lactams, tetracyclines, vancomycin, clindamycin, linezolid, chloramphenicol, quinupristin/dalfopristin and rifampicin on Bacillus anthracis J. Antimicrob. Chemother., April 1, 2004; 53(4): 609 - 615. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|