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The in vitro activity of four oral cephalosporins was assessed in dilution tests with 50 isolates of the family Enterobacteriaceae possessing well-characterized mechanisms of resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. The interaction of the drugs with a broad array of beta-lactamases was also determined in spectrophotometric assays and tests for enzyme induction. Overall, the percentages of strains susceptible to each of the study drugs were 82% for cefixime, 62% for cefuroxime, 58% for cephalexin, and 44% for cefaclor. The poor activity of the older cephalosporins was due to a high degree of susceptibility to hydrolysis by both plasmid-mediated and chromosomally mediated beta-lactamases. For cefaclor, higher MICs were associated with higher levels of plasmid-mediated beta-lactamases in the strains. Resistance to cefuroxime was seen primarily among strains expressing high levels of class I or IV beta-lactamase. Resistance to cefixime was seen only among strains expressing high levels of class I enzymes. Neither cefixime nor cefuroxime was a strong inducer of class I beta-lactamases, although enzyme induction did appear to play a role in cefuroxime resistance in a strain of Serratia marcescens. The consistently greater activity of cefixime over cefuroxime was found not to be due to greater drug permeation into the cell. Rather, it appeared to result from the high affinity of the drug for target enzymes.

In recent years, a number of clinical microbiology laboratories have isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa with the unusual aminoglycoside disk diffusion result of resistance to both amikacin and gentamicin but susceptibility to tobramycin (ArGrTs). A total of 39 isolates of P. aeruginosa reported to have this resistance pattern were retested by the standard National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards disk diffusion procedure; 30 strains (77%) were confirmed to be ArGrTs. These 30 isolates were further examined for susceptibility to those aminoglycosides by agar dilution and broth micro- and macrodilution methods. Only 27, 27, and 23% of the isolates appeared to be ArGrTs by agar, broth microdilution, and broth macrodilution testing, respectively. Most of the remaining isolates were resistant to all three aminoglycosides when tested by broth dilution and resistant only to gentamicin when tested by agar dilution. The percentages of strains resistant to any particular aminoglycoside by agar dilution, broth microdilution, and broth macrodilution, respectively, were 43, 80, and 70 for amikacin, 97, 93, and 100 for gentamicin, 100, 100, and 100 for netilmicin, 30, 87, and 93 for sisomicin, and 13, 57, and 50 for tobramycin. These results indicate that strains showing the unusual aminoglycoside antibiogram are less susceptible to aminoglycosides in general and should probably be considered borderline resistant to all aminoglycosides. The efficacy of aminoglycosides in the treatment of infections produced by these strains is unknown.

Discrepancies were observed between results of different beta-lactamase induction tests with amdinocillin, which appeared to be a strong inducer in whole-cell assays but a weak inducer in assays with cell-free sonic extracts. Results of a nitrocephin-disk test with constitutive beta-lactamase producers indicated that the positive results obtained in whole-cell assays were due to drug-produced leakage of enzyme from the cell and not to induction. Imipenem was also found to cause leakage of beta-lactamase from a similar number of constitutive enzyme producers, while cefoxitin was much less likely to cause leakage. A split-dose regimen was employed to treat mice infected with a strain of Enterobacter cloacae which appeared to leak enzyme on exposure to amdinocillin. Results indicated that prior treatment with amdinocillin significantly enhanced (P less than 0.025) the efficacy of azlocillin, an enzyme-labile drug, but did not affect the efficacy of cefotaxime, a relatively enzyme-stable drug. Conversely, prior treatment with amdinocillin did not potentiate the efficacy of either azlocillin or cefotaxime in the treatment of mice infected with an Escherichia coli strain that was highly susceptible to all three drugs. Thus, it appears that amdinocillin may potentiate the activity of other beta-lactam drugs not only by binding to a complementary penicillin-binding protein but also by causing leakage of beta-lactamase from the cell. This effect may be related to its ability to bind to penicillin-binding protein 2 and subsequently produce changes in outer membrane permeability.

The in vitro activity of mezlocillin was compared to penicillin G, ampicillin, carbenicillin, and ticarcillin in tests with 195 gram-positive bacteria and 20 Haemophilus influenzae. Against gram-positive isolates excluding enterococci, penicillin was the most active drug, followed by ampicillin, mezlocillin, carbenicillin, and ticarcillin. Ampicillin was the most active of the five drugs against enterococci, whereas mezlocillin was the most active drug against 14 strains of ampicillin-susceptible H. influenzae.

Although resistance to the expanded-spectrum cephalosporins among members of the family Enterobacteriaceae lacking inducible beta-lactamases occurs virtually worldwide, little is known about this problem among isolates recovered in South Africa. Isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis resistant to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins recovered from patients in various parts of South Africa over a 3-month period were investigated for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by standard disk diffusion and agar dilution procedures. Production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases was evaluated by using the double-disk test, and the beta-lactamases were characterized by spectrophotometric hydrolysis assays and an isoelectric focusing overlay technique which simultaneously determined isoelectric points and general substrate or inhibitor characteristics. DNA amplification and sequencing were performed to confirm the identities of these enzymes. The P. mirabilis and E. coli isolates were found to produce TEM-26-type, SHV-2, and SHV-5 extended-spectrum beta-lactamases. An AmpC-related enzyme which had a pI of 8.0 and which conferred resistance to cefoxitin as well as the expanded-spectrum cephalosporins was found in a strain of K. pneumoniae. This is the first study which has identified organisms producing different extended-spectrum beta-lactamases from South Africa and the first report describing strains of P. mirabilis producing a TEM-26-type enzyme. The variety of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases found among members of the family Enterobacteriaceae isolated from major medical centers in South Africa is troubling and adds to the growing list of countries where these enzymes pose a serious problem for antimicrobial therapy.

Mutants of Enterobacter cloacae 55 were studied to delineate more completely the genetics of inducible expression of AmpC beta-lactamase. E. cloacae 55M-L, derived by mutagenesis from a mutant with high-level cefotaxime resistance (MIC, greater than 64 micrograms/ml), E. cloacae 55M, demonstrated a novel phenotype by producing only low levels of AmpC constitutively. Neither the parental phenotype of E. cloacae 55M nor the wild-type phenotype of E. cloacae 55 could be restored in E. cloacae 55M-L by the introduction of functional ampR, ampC, or ampD genes. Cloning each of these genes from E. cloacae 55M-L confirmed the same genotype for this mutant as for its parental strain. Mutation of E. cloacae 55M-L to the E. cloacae 55M phenotype was found to occur spontaneously at a frequency of 10(-8). All such revertants demonstrated an inducible wild-type phenotype after introduction of a functional ampD. These results suggested that the E. cloacae 55M-L phenotype was due to a mutation in an as yet unrecognized gene, designated ampG. Verification of this gene was obtained by the restoration of the E. cloacae 55M phenotype in E. cloacae 55M-L by introduction of a cloned 2.9-kilobase BamHI fragment from the E. cloacae 55 chromosome. Transformation of both ampG and ampD into E. cloacae 55M-L reconstituted the inducible wild-type phenotype. These results indicate that ampG is required for the activation of ampC by AmpR. Without ampG, neither induction nor high-level expression of AmpC is possible. It is likely that the ampG gene product and AmpD together modulate the ability of AmpR to activate ampC expression.

Pairs of 11 antimicrobial agents were tested in vitro for their ability to act synergistically against three strains of Mycobacterium avium complex isolated from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. From the combinations tested, four drugs (ethambutol, rifampin, ciprofloxacin, and erythromycin) were selected for more extensive study against 20 strains of M. avium complex. The inhibitory and killing synergism obtained with combinations of two, three, or four drugs was assessed by determining the fractional inhibitory concentration index and fractional bactericidal concentration index. Inhibitory synergism occurred against 90 to 100% of the strains for all drug combinations in which ethambutol was included. Killing synergism occurred against 85 to 95% of the strains when ethambutol was used in combinations which included either rifampin or ciprofloxacin. However, killing synergism occurred against only 45% of the strains when drugs were tested at concentrations that can be obtained in patient serum. In other experiments, rifabutin (Ansamycin) gave results that were comparable to those obtained with rifampin. Clofazimine did not show synergistic killing activity at a concentration that is achievable in serum for any of the drugs tested. Our results indicate that there is considerable variability in the antimicrobial susceptibility of M. avium isolates obtained from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. This variability could have significant impact on the clinical response to various therapies.

Thirty-four clinical isolates of the family Enterobacteriaceae from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center appeared resistant to ticarcillin-potassium clavulanate in agar dilution and broth macrodilution tests. Among those isolates producing a single non-class I beta-lactamase, resistance was due to production of high levels of TEM-1, SHV-1, or class IV enzymes. In five Escherichia coli isolates, production of low levels of PSE-1 was responsible for resistance which seemed due to rapid hydrolysis of ticarcillin rather than diminished susceptibility of PSE-1 to inhibition by potassium clavulanate. Comparisons of dilution and disk diffusion tests revealed major discrepancies, with 65% false susceptibility in the disk test. Revision of the interpretive criteria used for disk diffusion tests from less than or equal to 11 to less than or equal to 18 mm for resistance is proposed to resolve these discrepancies until clinical data are obtained which can be used to determine which in vitro test is most predictive of therapeutic outcome. These new criteria would diminish false susceptibility without introducing false resistance.

Use of cefoperazone in a patient with Aeromonas caviae in the respiratory tract selected a mutant that constitutively produced beta-lactamase. This mutant, in contrast to its parental strain with an inducible beta-lactamase, showed enhanced resistance to newer cephalosporins and aztreonam. This observation suggested that species of Aeromonas, like those of other genera with inducible beta-lactamases, may pose therapeutic problems associated with the rapid development of multiple beta-lactam resistance. Thus, a study was designed to identify the beta-lactamases in 12 strains representing four species of Aeromonas and assess their role in drug resistance. Eleven strains possessed inducible beta-lactamases. One strain showed no detectable activity. An analysis of substrate and inhibitor profiles, isoelectric points, and beta-lactam susceptibility patterns revealed the presence of at least four distinguishable inducible beta-lactamases. These enzymes were involved in the resistance of strains within the genus to penicillins, cephalosporins, aztreonam, and imipenem but not cefoxitin. Unlike most other organisms with inducible beta-lactamases, all four strains of A. caviae, one of four strains of A. sobria, and one of three strains of A. hydrophila possessed two distinct inducible beta-lactamases. Furthermore, substrate and inhibitor profiles revealed that many of these Aeromonas beta-lactamases were distinct from inducible enzymes that have been characterized in other genera of gram-negative bacteria.

The multiple stages of derepression of the type I chromosomal beta-lactamase in Pseudomonas aeruginosa were examined. Mutants partially and fully derepressed for beta-lactamase were selected from a wild-type clinical isolate. An analysis of the beta-lactamase produced by these mutants and the induced wild type revealed significant differences in the products of derepression at each stage. Beta-lactamase produced by the fully derepressed mutant showed a lower affinity (Km, 0.113 mM) for cephalothin than that produced by the partially derepressed mutant (Km, 0.049 mM). However, due to a very large Vmax, the former possessed a much greater hydrolytic efficiency. Differences in substrate profile were also noted. Only beta-lactamase from the fully derepressed mutant hydrolyzed cefamandole, cefoperazone, and cefonicid. The partially derepressed mutant possessed a single beta-lactamase band with a pI of 8.4. The fully derepressed mutant possessed this band and an additional major band with a pI of 7.5. Induction of the wild type with cefoxitin produced both bands. The changes in physiologic parameters of the enzymes produced in the different stages of derepression suggest a complex system for beta-lactamase expression in P. aeruginosa. This may involve at least two distinct structural regions, each of which is under control of the same repressor.

The ability of three quinolones, two beta-lactams, and one aminoglycoside to select resistant mutants was examined in tests with 30 isolates of commonly encountered nosocomial pathogens. Ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, two new quinolone derivatives, were no more likely to select resistant mutants than amikacin, whereas nalidixic acid, an older quinolone derivative, was the most likely of the six drugs examined to select resistant mutants. Mutational frequencies of 10(-7) to 10(-8) were observed in most instances. In general, the mutants were 8 to 16 times less susceptible to the drug used for selection. Although most quinolone-selected mutants were cross-resistant only to other drugs within this class, certain mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae selected by nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, or norfloxacin were also less susceptible to beta-lactam antibiotics. This unusual pattern of multiple drug resistance was associated with changes in outer membrane proteins of the organism. Multiple drug resistance was also observed in beta-lactam-selected mutants of Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (beta-lactams), amikacin-selected mutants of Providencia stuartii and P. aeruginosa (aminoglycosides), and beta-lactam- or amikacin-selected mutants of Serratia marcescens (beta-lactams plus aminoglycosides). These results underscore the need to examine carefully the frequency with which resistance to any new antibiotic develops, as well as the patterns of multiple drug resistance which may occur simultaneously.

MICs were determined for 218 clinical isolates of Bacteroides by a broth microdilution method. Imipenem was the most active antibiotic tested. Azlocillin, mezlocillin, and cefoxitin had comparable activities, with resistance among members of the B. fragilis group and B. capillosus. Ceftizoxime was the most active cephalosporin tested. Members of the B. fragilis group showed high levels of resistance to cefotetan and ceftazidime. Resistance to penicillin G varied from 0 to 14%.

We assessed the extent and mechanisms of antagonism of beta-lactam antibiotics by cefoxitin. In tests with 41 gram-negative isolates, cefoxitin antagonized cephalothin, cefamandole, cefsulodin, cefotaxime, moxalactam, ampicillin, carbenicillin, piperacillin, mezlocillin, and azlocillin, but not cephalexin, mecillinam, or N-formimidoyl thienamycin. The extent of antagonism varied with the beta-lactam and genus studied. However, antagonism occurred most often with strains possessing inducible cephalosporinases. Antagonism of cephalothin and cefamandole correlated closely with the induction of beta-lactamases capable of inactivating these drugs. Although antagonism of the remaining drugs occurred more often with strains possessing inducible beta-lactamases, these enzymes did not inactivate the drugs. Morphological studies revealed that cefoxitin inhibited filamentation and lysis produced by various beta-lactam drugs. Results of this investigation suggest that cefoxitin antagonizes beta-lactams via (i) induction of drug-inactivating beta-lactamases, and (ii) the induction of beta-lactamases that cannot inactivate the drug but serve as barriers against access to target proteins. This barrier appears most efficient for drugs that bind to penicillin-binding proteins 1 and 3.

The ability of cefoxitin to antagonize the in vivo efficacy of cefamandole and carbenicillin as predicted by in vitro assays was analyzed in experimental infections in mice. Cefoxitin was administered in a nonprotective dose either at the time of challenge or simultaneously with the protective drug, 1 and 3.5 h postchallenge. In mice infected with Enterobacter cloacae, median 50% protective doses of cefamandole and carbenicillin were markedly increased by cefoxitin, especially when the latter was given at the time of challenge. The antagonistic effect was also associated with increased numbers of challenge bacteria present in animal heart blood within a 6.5-h period after infection. In infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, cefoxitin antagonized carbenicillin; however, the effect was less dramatic than that seen with E. cloacae. Antagonism in this model was pronounced with simultaneous administration of antagonizing and protective drugs. The antagonistic effects observed in all in vivo tests were not due to the selection of stable resistance to the protective drugs, but appeared to be due to a reversible induction of beta-lactamases by cefoxitin.

Sixty-seven patients were treated with moxalactam in a noncomparative trial of hospitalized patients; 32 had endometritis or chorioamnionitis, 12 had skin and soft tissue infections, 5 had osteomyelitis, 5 had pneumonia, 5 had urinary tract infections, 4 had arthritis, 2 had sepsis from an unknown source, 1 had endocarditis, and 1 had peritonitis. Bacteremia was present in 12 of these patients. Patients were given 3 to 12 g of moxalactam per day (mean, 6.24 g/day) in divided doses every 6 to 8 h. Seven patients were given intramuscular treatment for 3 to 20 days for part or all of their therapy. The rest were given intravenous treatment exclusively. Treatment was continued for 2 to 42 days (mean, 10 days). The dose and the duration of therapy were determined by the type of infection and the response of each patient. There were four treatment failures and one enterococcal-clostridial superinfection. Moxalactam was well tolerated. Allergic reactions led to the discontinuation of the antibiotic in three patients. Prolonged prothrombin and partial thromboplastin times were observed in 2 of 11 patients tested; in both instances in patients had severe underlying diseases, including malnutrition and alcoholism. Pain on intramuscular injection was noted in two patients receiving 1,500 mg, but not in five receiving a lower dose; in one case the pain forced the use of intravenous therapy after one dose, and in the other case the pain was mild and the patient was treated for 20 days. We concluded that moxalactam was effective in the treatment of the types of infections included in this study and produced few adverse reactions.

One hundred clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant (Metr) Staphylococcus aureus from five different geographical origins were tested for their susceptibility to 12 non-beta-lactam antibiotics by the broth microdilution technique recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Coumermycin and rifampin showed the highest activity with of MIC90s of 0.032 micrograms/ml for each compound. No resistance was found to coumermycin, whereas a single Metr S. aureus strain was found to be resistant to rifampin. Ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, and teicoplanin were the next most active compounds with MIC90s of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.5 micrograms/ml, respectively. Norfloxacin was less active, with an MIC90 of 1.0 micrograms/ml. Amikacin was the most active aminoglycoside tested, whereas high levels of resistance were found to tobramycin and gentamicin. Doxycycline and chloramphenicol showed variable results. Geographical variations in results were seen with doxycycline, chloramphenicol, and aminoglycosides. Kill-curve studies showed that coumermycin, ciprofloxacin, teicoplanin, vancomycin, and rifampin were highly bactericidal; more than 90% of the inoculum was killed within 8 h.

The chromosomal beta-lactamase and outer membrane proteins of Enterobacter cloacae were examined to determine their relative contributions to multiple antibiotic resistance in this organism. Mutants altered in beta-lactamase expression, whether derived in the laboratory or recovered from patients treated with one of the new beta-lactam antibiotics, were found to have no detectable alterations in outer membrane proteins. Derepression of beta-lactamase in these mutants was associated with high-level resistance to multiple beta-lactam antibiotics, while loss of inducible beta-lactamase (i.e., production of basal enzyme levels only) was associated with acquisition of susceptibility to many beta-lactam antibiotics, including cephalothin. In contrast, alteration in outer membrane proteins was associated with only moderate-level resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. However, this included resistance to such drugs as amdinocillin and Sch 34343, which were unaffected by derepression of beta-lactamase. Resistance to chloramphenicol and tetracycline also accompanied changes in outer membrane proteins. Although the outer membrane proteins of various strains of E. cloacae were similar, there did appear to be some major strain-to-strain variations. Thus, it appears that alterations in both beta-lactamase and outer membrane proteins can affect the susceptibility of E. cloacae to many antibiotics. However, alterations in beta-lactamase alone are sufficient to produce high-level multiple beta-lactam resistance in this organism.