In vitro activity of beta-lactam drugs and sulbactam against Chlamydia trachomatis.
We tested the in vitro activity of ampicillin, ampicillin-sulbactam, cefoperazone, cefoperazone-sulbactam, and sulbactam against 18 recent clinical isolates of Chlamydia trachomatis and two ATCC strains. Ampicillin (MIC50, 256 micrograms/ml) and sulbactam (MIC50, 128 micrograms/ml) demonstrated some activity against C. trachomatis, but cefoperazone had little to no activity. At 2-3 dilutions below the MIC, C. trachomatis treated with ampicillin or sulbactam, but not cefoperazone, formed small inclusions that remained small on passage onto antibiotic-free McCoy cells. It appears that ampicillin and sulbactam suppress rather than kill C. trachomatis.
Segreti
J
J
Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois.
Kapell
K S
KS
Trenholme
G M
GM
D000667:Ampicillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002438:Cefoperazone / Q000494:pharmacology; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D013407:Sulbactam / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000667:Ampicillin; D002438:Cefoperazone; D013407:Sulbactam