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Adverse effect of staphylococci slime on in vitro activity of glycopeptides

Tarun Mathur1, Smita Singhal, Seema Khan

  • 1Department of Infectious Diseases, New Drug Discovery Research, Ranbaxy Research Laboratories, Gurgaon 122001, India. tarun.mathur@ranbaxy.com

Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases
|December 27, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Staphylococcal slime reduces the effectiveness of vancomycin and teicoplanin antibiotics. Newer drugs like ranbezolid are more effective against slime-producing bacteria in foreign body infections.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Staphylococcal adhesion to biomaterials is key in foreign body infections.
  • Extracellular slime production significantly impacts infection development and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of staphylococcal slime on the activity of various antibiotics.
  • To evaluate antibiotic efficacy against slime-producing staphylococcal isolates.

Main Methods:

  • Tested vancomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid, quinupristin/dalfopristin, rifampicin, and ranbezolid.
  • Determined minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and performed time-kill studies with and without slime extract.

Main Results:

  • Slime extract increased vancomycin and teicoplanin MICs 2- to 16-fold.
  • Slime significantly reduced killing by vancomycin and teicoplanin in time-kill studies.
  • Rifampicin and ranbezolid efficacy remained unaffected by slime.

Conclusions:

  • Staphylococcal slime interferes with glycopeptide antibiotics (vancomycin, teicoplanin).
  • Ranbezolid and similar newer antibiotics show promise for prosthetic device-related infections.
  • Consideration of slime's impact is crucial for effective treatment strategies.

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