JAC Advance Access originally published online on January 13, 2005
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2005 55(2):272-274; doi:10.1093/jac/dkh545
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JAC vol.55 no.2 © The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2005; all rights reserved
In vitro activity and killing effect of temporin A on nosocomial isolates of Enterococcus faecalis and interactions with clinically used antibiotics
ukasiak21 Institute of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy; 2 Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
* Corresponding author. Tel: +39-071-5963715; Fax: +39-071-5963468; Email: anconacmi{at}interfree.it
Objective: To study the in vitro activity of temporin A, a basic, highly hydrophobic, antimicrobial peptide amide derived from the skin of the European red frog Rana temporaria, alone and in combination with co-amoxiclav, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, linezolid and vancomycin, against 42 nosocomial isolates of Enterococcus faecalis. Fourteen of these were resistant to vancomycin.
Methods: Antimicrobial activity of temporin A was measured by MIC, MBC and timekill studies and by the chequerboard titration method.
Results: All isolates were inhibited at concentrations of 1 to 16 mg/L. Combination studies carried out with E. faecalis ATCC 29212 and ATCC 51299 demonstrated synergy only when the peptide was combined with co-amoxiclav and imipenem.
Conclusions: Our findings show that temporin A is active against E. faecalis and that its activity could be enhanced when it is combined with other antimicrobial agents.
Keywords: antimicrobial peptides , Gram-positive infections , susceptibility , antibiotic combinations , enterococci