title: Treatment of experimental endocarditis due to multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecium with clinafloxacin and penicillin.
abstract: Clinafloxacin, a new quinolone antibiotic with enhanced activity against Gram-positive bacteria, has demonstrated in-vitro activity against multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecium, particularly when combined with penicillin. Rabbits with experimental endocarditis due to a multidrug-resistant strain of E. faecium were treated with clinafloxacin and/or penicillin. After three days of therapy, significant reduction of bacterial concentrations were found in vegetations, kidneys, and spleens of animals treated with clinafloxacin. The combination of clinafloxacin and penicillin was significantly better in reducing vegetation bacterial concentrations compared to the other groups (-4.4 log10 cfu/g compared with control). Serum levels of clinafloxacin consistently exceeded the MIC of the strain, and clinafloxacin-resistant isolates could not be detected. Clinafloxacin demonstrated promising activity in vivo against multidrug-resistant E. faecium, and further studies are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (111E), Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Brooklyn, New York 11209, USA.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Zaman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Landman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Burney
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Quale
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000187:drug effects*; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010406:Penicillins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015363:Quinolones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D010406:Penicillins; D015363:Quinolones; C057477:clinafloxacin