title: In vitro activity of gemifloxacin against recent clinical isolates of bacteria in Korea.
abstract: Gemifloxacin is an enhanced-affinity fluoroquinolone with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. In Korea, resistant bacteria are relatively more prevalent than in other industrialized countries. In this study, we studied the in vitro activities of gemifloxacin, gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and other commonly used antimicrobial agents against 1,689 bacterial strains isolated at four Korean university hospitals during 1999-2000. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined using the agar dilution method of National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Gemifloxacin had the lowest MICs for the respiratory pathogens: 90% of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Haemophilus influenzae were inhibited by 0.06, 0.03, and 0.03 mg/L, respectively. Gemifloxacin was more active than the other fluoroquinolones against methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci, streptococci, and Enterococcus faecalis. The MIC90s of gemifloxacin for Klebsiella oxytoca, Proteus vulgaris, and non-typhoidal Salmonella spp. were 0.25, 1.0, and 0.12 mg/L, respectively, while those for other Gram-negative bacilli were 4-64 mg/L. In conclusion, gemifloxacin was the most active among the comparative agents against Gram-positive species, including respiratory pathogens isolated in Korea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Korea. infect@cmc.cuk.ac.kr
authors.forename: Dong Eun
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.forename: Hee-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Cheong
authors.forename: Yang Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yeon Joon
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Woo-Joo
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jun Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Kyung Won
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Moon Won
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Youn-Sung
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Choo
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001372:Aza Compounds; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D000077734:Gatifloxacin; D000077735:Gemifloxacin; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000187:drug effects; D007723:Korea; D064704:Levofloxacin; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009016:Moraxella / Q000187:drug effects; D000077266:Moxifloxacin; D009287:Naphthyridines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015242:Ofloxacin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011804:Quinolines; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D001372:Aza Compounds; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D009287:Naphthyridines; D011804:Quinolines; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D064704:Levofloxacin; D015242:Ofloxacin; D000077734:Gatifloxacin; D000077735:Gemifloxacin; D000077266:Moxifloxacin