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 Original Articles |
| Comparative Bactericidal Activities of Fluoroquinolones against Penicillin-Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae |
| Kwang-Jun Lee, Song-Mee Bae, Kyu-Jam Hwang, Young-Hee Lee, Ki-Sang Kim |
| Division of Respiratory Infections, Department of Microbiology National Institute of Health, Nokbun Dong 5, Eunpyung- Gu, Seoul, 122-701, Korea |
Vol.20 Num.3 (p253~262)
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Background : Recently, the rapid increase and global spread of penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae has become a serious problem. In the 1990s, a variety of novel fluoroquinolones with enhanced, activity against gram-positive bacteria have been developed and used for the treatment of pneumococcal infections. In such situations, the fluoroquinolone-resistance in S. pneumonaie has been reported from many countries. In this study, we compared the activity of ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, sparfloxacin, gatifloxacin, and moxifloxacin against 93 clinical isolates of S. pneumoniae which were highly-resistant to penicillin (MIC 2~8 ㎕/ml).
Methods : Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined by the broth microdilution method in cation-adjusted Muller-Hinton broth supplemented with 3% lysed horse blood according to the guidelines of the National, Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS).
Results : Based on MIC90s, sparfloxacin and moxifloxacin were the most potent fluoroquinolone tested against penicillin-resistant S pneumoniae and retained excellent activity comparable with ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin. The rank order of bactericidal activity was ciprofloxacin (least active) ≪ levofloxacin < sparfloxacin < gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin (most active).
Conclusion : In this study, the newer fluoroquinolones (moxifloxacin, sparfloxacin) showed improved activity over that observed with ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and sparfloxacin. The emergence of highly resistance to fluoroquinolones among penicillin-resistant pneumococci in Korea call for continuous attention and strategies to prevent rapid increase and spread of these strains. |
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Keywords : fluoroquinolones, resistance, MICs, Streptococcus pneumoniae |
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