title: In vitro activities of faropenem, ertapenem, imipenem and meropenem against Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.
abstract: Little is known about the in vitro activity of penems and carbapenems against the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Here, faropenem, ertapenem, imipenem and meropenem as well as the third-generation cephalosporin ceftriaxone and tobramycin were tested in vitro against 11 isolates of the B. burgdorferi sensu lato complex. On a microg/mL basis, ertapenem was the most potent carbapenem (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) range: 0.015-0.125 microg/mL), with in vitro activity comparable with that of ceftriaxone against Borrelia. These findings are supported by the results of time-kill experiments in a Borrelia afzelii skin isolate, demonstrating a >3 log10 unit (99.9%) reduction of the inoculum after 96 h of exposure to either drug at a concentration of three log2 unit dilutions above the respective MIC.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology & Infection Control, University Hospital of Frankfurt, Paul-Ehrlich Str. 40, D-60596 Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rödel
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Freyer
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bittner
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: Klaus-Peter
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Hunfeld
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000187:drug effects*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D047090:beta-Lactams / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D047090:beta-Lactams