Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 29, 2026

Metabolic Profiling to Determine Bactericidal or Bacteriostatic Effects of New Natural Products using Isothermal Microcalorimetry
07:28

Metabolic Profiling to Determine Bactericidal or Bacteriostatic Effects of New Natural Products using Isothermal Microcalorimetry

Published on: October 29, 2020

Mechanism of therapeutic effectiveness of cefixime against typhoid fever

Y Matsumoto1, A Ikemoto, Y Wakai

  • 1Medicinal Biology Research Laboratories, Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan. yoshimi_matsumoto@po.fujisawa.co.jp

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
|August 15, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Cefixime effectively inhibits intracellular Salmonella growth within mammalian cells, challenging the notion that beta-lactams are ineffective against intracellular bacteria. This study demonstrates cefixime

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Microbiology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Beta-lactam antibiotics are generally considered ineffective against intracellular bacteria due to poor cell penetration.
  • Cefixime has demonstrated clinical efficacy against typhoid fever, suggesting intracellular activity.
  • The mechanism of cefixime's effectiveness against intracellular Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the probable mechanism of cefixime's therapeutic effectiveness against intracellular Salmonella.
  • To evaluate cefixime's ability to penetrate mammalian cells and inhibit intracellular bacterial growth.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in a cellular infection model with THP-1 cells.
  • Employed microscopy and electron microscopy to observe bacterial morphology and growth within cells.
  • Quantified intracellular cefixime concentrations and assessed its presence in serum over time.

Main Results:

  • Cefixime successfully inhibited the growth of Salmonella Typhimurium within THP-1 cells.
  • Microscopic analysis revealed bacterial elongation and morphological changes inside cells.
  • Intracellular cefixime concentration reached 46-48% of extracellular levels, with sustained therapeutic levels in serum.

Conclusions:

  • Cefixime can effectively penetrate mammalian cells and inhibit intracellular bacterial growth.
  • The findings support cefixime's utility against intracellular Salmonella infections, including typhoid fever.
  • Bacterial sensitivity to cefixime is crucial for its intracellular efficacy.

More Related Videos

Quadruple-Checkerboard: A Modification of the Three-Dimensional Checkerboard for Studying Drug Combinations11:15

Quadruple-Checkerboard: A Modification of the Three-Dimensional Checkerboard for Studying Drug Combinations

Published on: July 24, 2021

Assay Development for High-Throughput Drug Screening Against Mycobacteria07:50

Assay Development for High-Throughput Drug Screening Against Mycobacteria

Published on: October 25, 2024

Related Concept Videos

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Antimicrobials as Antidiarrheal Agents01:18

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Antimicrobials as Antidiarrheal Agents

Acute diarrhea, a common gastrointestinal disturbance, is characterized by the rapid evacuation of fluid stools, leading to an excessive weight in fluid. This condition typically arises from disorders affecting intestinal water and electrolyte transport. It can be triggered by an increased osmotic load within the intestine, excessive secretion of electrolytes and water, mucosal exudation of protein and fluid, or altered intestinal motility. The primary risks of acute diarrhea are dehydration...
Pharmaceutical Alternatives: Stability-Related Therapeutic Nonequivalence01:22

Pharmaceutical Alternatives: Stability-Related Therapeutic Nonequivalence

Generic intravenous (IV) drugs are considered bioequivalent to their branded counterparts due to their 100% bioavailability upon administration. However, variations in stability among different drug products can significantly influence their therapeutic performance, even if they are pharmaceutically equivalent.Cefuroxime, a prophylactic antimicrobial, is often used as a single-dose IV injection for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. A 3 g dose typically provides...
Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Relationship: Influence of Elimination Half-Life on Effect Duration01:23

Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Relationship: Influence of Elimination Half-Life on Effect Duration

Drug elimination from the body primarily occurs through metabolic and excretion pathways. Hepatic metabolism transforms lipophilic drugs into hydrophilic forms for excretion, typically via enzymatic processes classified as phase I (modification) and phase II (conjugation). Renal excretion eliminates drugs and metabolites through filtration and secretion in the kidneys. Impairment in liver or kidney function can hinder these processes, delaying drug clearance and extending the drug’s half-life.
Antimicrobial Effectiveness01:28

Antimicrobial Effectiveness

The effectiveness of antimicrobial agents depends on various factors influencing their ability to eliminate microbial populations. Larger microbial populations require more time for complete eradication, emphasizing the importance of population size analysis when evaluating antimicrobial efficacy.Microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents varies significantly. Highly resilient microorganisms include endospores, gram-negative bacteria, and non-enveloped viruses, while prions are exceptionally...
Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA01:25

Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria arises when microorganisms evolve the ability to withstand drugs designed to kill them or inhibit their growth, rendering once-effective treatments useless. This phenomenon, driven by genetic change and selection under antibiotic exposure, poses a profound threat to modern medicine. Mechanisms include drug-inactivating enzymes (e.g., β-lactamases), efflux pumps that eject antibiotics, mutations altering antibiotic targets, decreased drug uptake, and acquisition...
Inhibitors of Bacterial DNA Synthesis01:28

Inhibitors of Bacterial DNA Synthesis

Bacterial pathogens depend on precise and efficient DNA replication to sustain infection. Two type II topoisomerases—DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV—are critical to this process, as they resolve DNA supercoiling and unlink chromosomes during replication. Fluoroquinolones, synthetic derivatives of quinolones, exploit this mechanism by stabilizing the transient DNA–enzyme cleavage complex, preventing strand religation, and causing lethal double-strand breaks. These antibiotics are selectively...