title: Susceptibility of Yersinia pestis to novel and conventional antimicrobial agents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the susceptibility of southern African strains of Yersinia pestis to novel as well as conventional antimicrobial agents.
  
  
  METHODS
  The MICs of 28 strains of Yersinia pestis from a southern African plague focus were determined by agar dilution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most active agents were cefditoren and the fluoroquinolones, both conventional and novel. The in vitro activity of macrolides was poor against this member of the Enterobacteriaceae.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further investigation of the novel quinolones olamufloxacin (HSR 903) and ABT 492 in animal models of plague would seem to be justified.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frean
authors.forename: Keith P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Klugman
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arntzen
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bukofzer
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents