title: Detection of aminoglycoside-penicillin synergy against Enterococcus faecium using high-content aminoglycoside disks.
abstract: Thirty-seven Enterococcus faecium strains were screened for high-level aminoglycoside resistance with an agar diffusion test using high-content aminoglycoside disks (300 micrograms of streptomycin and 120 micrograms of gentamicin, tobramycin, kanamycin or amikacin). The inhibition zones obtained were correlated with results of time-kill penicillin-aminoglycoside synergy studies. An 11 mm breakpoint differentiated strains susceptible or resistant to the synergy of streptomycin plus penicillin. Irrespective of the inhibition zones obtained with tobramycin and kanamycin disks, Enterococcus faecium strains never showed synergy with penicillin in combination with these aminoglycosides. Penicillin-amikacin synergy cannot be predicted by the amikacin disks. Nevertheless, even though kanamycin disks do not predict penicillin-kanamycin synergy, they can be used to predict penicillin-amikacin synergy. In summary, high-content streptomycin, gentamicin and kanamycin disks can be used to predict the susceptibility of Enterococcus faecium strains to the synergistic combination of penicillin plus one of the aminoglycosides (streptomycin, gentamicin or amikacin, respectively).
authors.affiliation: Area Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Luis de Ulloa 20, Universidad de la Rioja, Logroño, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tenorio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lantero
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zarazaga
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baquero
mesh_terms: D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000187:drug effects*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010406:Penicillins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010406:Penicillins