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JAC Advance Access originally published online on December 17, 2007
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2008 61(2):362-364; doi:10.1093/jac/dkm496
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Original research

Unexpected antimicrobial effect of statins

S. Jerwood1 and J. Cohen2,*

1 Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Road, Brighton BN2 5BE, UK 2 Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Falmer BN1 9PX, UK

Received 25 October 2007; returned 16 November 2007; revised 27 November 2007; accepted 27 November 2007

* Corresponding author. Tel: +44-1273-877577; Fax: +44-1273-877575; E-mail: j.cohen{at}bsms.ac.uk

Objectives: Epidemiological studies of statins have suggested a link between statin therapy and a decreased risk of sepsis. It has been proposed that the mechanism underlying this apparent protective effect of statins relates to their known immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to explore the antimicrobial effect of statins.

Methods: Simvastatin (Merck) and fluvastatin (Novartis) were both tested against six of each of methicillin-susceptible and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA + MRSA), and vancomycin-sensitive and -resistant enterococci (VSE + VRE) using a microtitre dilution method. The test was repeated five times for both statins against all 24 isolates. Vancomycin, linezolid and propranolol were used as controls, as appropriate.

Results and discussion: Simvastatin showed a significant antimicrobial effect against MSSA (mean MIC 29.2 mg/L) and to a lesser extent against MRSA (mean MIC 74.9 mg/L). Fluvastatin had a significantly less marked antimicrobial effect. Propranolol showed no antimicrobial effect. Simvastatin has a considerable antimicrobial effect in vitro and further testing of it is warranted.

Keywords: antimicrobial activity , susceptibility testing , Staphylococcus aureus


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