Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Apr 2010
New susceptibility breakpoints for first-line antituberculosis drugs based on antimicrobial pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic science and population pharmacokinetic variability.
Arguably, one of the most common and consequential laboratory tests performed in the world is Mycobacterium tuberculosis susceptibility testing. M. tuberculosis resistance is defined by growth of > or =1% of a bacillary inoculum on the critical concentration of an antibiotic. The critical concentration was chosen based on inhibition of > or =95% of wild-type isolates. ⋯ The critical concentrations of moxifloxacin and ethambutol remained unchanged, but a critical concentration of 50 mg/liter was identified for pyrazinamide, 0.0312 mg/liter and 0.125 mg/liter were defined for low- and high-level isoniazid resistance, respectively, and 0.0625 mg/liter was defined for rifampin. Thus, current critical concentrations of first-line antituberculosis drugs are overoptimistic and should be set lower. With the proposed breakpoints, the rates of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis could become 4-fold higher than currently assumed.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Apr 2010
Dry powder PA-824 aerosols for treatment of tuberculosis in guinea pigs.
Novel treatments for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), or latent TB are needed urgently. Recently, we reported the formulation and characterization of the nitroimidazo-oxazine PA-824 for efficient aerosol delivery as dry powder porous particles and the subsequent disposition in guinea pigs after pulmonary administration. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of these PA-824 therapeutic aerosols on the extent of TB infection in the low-inoculum aerosol infection guinea pig model. ⋯ Treatment with oral PA-824 cyclodextrin/lecithin suspension resulted in a more significant reduction in the bacterial burden of lungs and spleen, consistent with a dose that was larger than inhaled doses (eight times the inhaled low dose and four times the inhaled high dose). However, histopathological analysis revealed that the extent of tissue damage was comparable in groups receiving the oral or either inhaled dose. The present studies indicate the potential use of PA-824 dry powder aerosols in the treatment of TB.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Mar 2010
Pharmacokinetics of acyclovir and its metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid and systemic circulation after administration of high-dose valacyclovir in subjects with normal and impaired renal function.
Valacyclovir, the L-valyl ester prodrug of acyclovir (ACV), is widely prescribed to treat infections caused by varicella-zoster virus or herpes simplex virus. Rarely, treatment is complicated by reversible neuropsychiatric symptoms. By mechanisms not fully understood, this occurs more frequently in the setting of renal impairment. ⋯ The average steady-state concentrations of acyclovir, CMMG, and 8-OH-ACV were greater in both the systemic circulation and the CSF among subjects with impaired renal function than among subjects with normal renal function. However, the CSF penetration of each analyte, reflected by the CSF-to-plasma area under the concentration-time curve over the 6- or 12-h dosing interval (AUC(tau)) ratio, did not differ based on renal function. Renal impairment does not alter the propensity for ACV or its metabolites to distribute to the CSF, but the higher concentrations in the systemic circulation, as a result of reduced elimination, are associated with proportionally higher concentrations in CSF.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Mar 2010
Activity of a new cephalosporin, CXA-101 (FR264205), against beta-lactam-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutants selected in vitro and after antipseudomonal treatment of intensive care unit patients.
CXA-101, previously designated FR264205, is a new antipseudomonal cephalosporin. We evaluated the activity of CXA-101 against a highly challenging collection of beta-lactam-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutants selected in vitro and after antipseudomonal treatment of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The in vitro mutants investigated included strains with multiple combinations of mutations leading to several degrees of AmpC overexpression (ampD, ampDh2, ampDh3, and dacB [PBP4]) and porin loss (oprD). ⋯ CXA-101 MICs of pan-beta-lactam-resistant strains ranged from 1 to 4 microg/ml (mean, 2.5 microg/ml). As described for the in vitro mutants, CXA-101 retained activity against the natural AmpD-PBP4 double mutants, even when these exhibited additional overexpression of the MexAB-OprM efflux pump. Therefore, clinical trials are needed to evaluate the usefulness of CXA-101 for the treatment of P. aeruginosa nosocomial infections, particularly those caused by multidrug-resistant isolates that emerge during antipseudomonal treatments.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Mar 2010
Efficacy of rifampin and its combinations with imipenem, sulbactam, and colistin in experimental models of infection caused by imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.
There are currently no defined optimal therapies available for multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii infections. We evaluated the efficacy of rifampin, imipenem, sulbactam, colistin, and their combinations against MDR A. baumannii in experimental pneumonia and meningitis models. The bactericidal in vitro activities of rifampin, imipenem, sulbactam, colistin, and their combinations were tested using time-kill curves. ⋯ In the meningitis model rifampin alone or rifampin plus colistin reduced cerebrospinal fluid bacterial counts (-2.6 and -4.4 log(10) CFU/ml). Rifampin in monotherapy or with imipenem, sulbactam, or colistin showed efficacy against MDR A. baumannii in experimental models of pneumonia and meningitis. Imipenem or sulbactam may be appropriate for combined treatment when using rifampin.