In vitro susceptibility of Ureaplasma urealyticum clinical isolates to new macrolides

Nine antimicrobial agents, the new macrolides, rokitamycin and midecamycin acetate, and seven other antibiotics, tetracycline, minocycline, doxycycline, josamycin, erythromycin, spiramycin, and norfloxacin, were studied for their antimicrobial activity against 100 strains of Ureaplasma urealyticum, using a microtiter broth dilution technique. The new macrolides, rokitamycin and midecamycin acetate, had the highest activity, with the MIC against 90% of isolates tested (MIC90) being less than or equal to 0.05 microgram/ml. MICs90 of erythromycin, josamycin, doxycycline, minocycline and tetracycline ranged from 0.1 to 0.78 micrograms/ml. Norfloxacin was least active, with a MIC90 of 12.5 micrograms/ml. Five of 100 strains tested were resistant (MIC greater than or equal to 12.5 micrograms/ml) to tetracycline, and two were resistant to minocycline and doxycycline; all of these were susceptible to rokitamycin and midecamycin acetate.