JAC Advance Access originally published online on November 1, 2002
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Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (2002) 50, 971-974
© 2002 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
The in vitro and in vivo antibacterial characterization of vancomycin and linezolid against vancomycin-susceptible and -resistant enterococci
Department of Microbiology, Toho University School of Medicine, 5-21-16 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143, Japan
Received 29 July 2002; returned 10 September 2002; revised 12 September 2002; accepted 12 September 2002
The present study was designed to compare in vitro antibacterial activities of linezolid and vancomycin against vancomycin-susceptible Enterococcus faecalis (VSEF) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) isolated in Japan with those of quinupristindalfopristin, teicoplanin and minocycline, and the in vitro short time bactericidal activity and the in vivo activities of linezolid and vancomycin against vancomycin-susceptible and -resistant E. faecalis. The MIC90s of linezolid, quinupristindalfopristin, vancomycin, teicoplanin and minocycline for VSEF and VRE were both 2 mg/L, both 2 mg/L, 2 and >128 mg/L, 0.25 and >128 mg/L, and both 32 mg/L, respectively. The efficacy of linezolid for mice with bacteraemia caused by VSEF was similar to that of vancomycin, but the elimination ratio of viable organisms from the blood of mice treated with vancomycin was significantly higher than in linezolid-treated and untreated mice at 2 h post-administration, and those of the two groups at 4 and 6 h were significantly higher than in untreated mice. Moreover, linezolid was highly active in mice with bacteraemia caused by vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis_because this drug had potent in vitro activity against the organisms. Our results indicate that linezolid is suitable for the treatment of VRE and VSEF bacteraemia, and vancomycin is suitable for VSEF bacteraemia.
Keywords: linezolid, vancomycin, VSEF, VRE
* Corresponding author. Tel: +81-3-3762-4151; Fax: +81-3-5493-5415; E-mail: shuichi{at}med.toho-u.ac.jp