In a context of worldwide emergence of resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae strains, early detection of strains with decreased susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics is important for clinicians. If the 1-microgram oxacillin disk diffusion test is used as described by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards, no interpretation is available for strains showing zone sizes o...

Four beta-lactam antibiotics with beta-lactamase inhibitory activity MM 22380, MM 22381, MM 22382 and MM 22383 containing the carbapenem nucleus have been isolated from a culture of Streptomyces olivaceus ATCC 31365. Fermentation conditions for their production and methods for their isolation are described. Evidence for a biosynthetic link between these compounds and the previously described ol...

The susceptibilities of 43 pharyngeal isolates of Capnocytophaga to beta-lactam antibiotics, alone or in combination with beta-lactamase inhibitors, were tested by an agar dilution method. The 34 beta-lactamase-positive strains were highly resistant to beta-lactams, but the intrinsic activities of clavulanate, tazobactam, and sulbactam against Capnocytophaga, even beta-lactamase producers, indi...

Co-administration of piperine, an alkaloid isolated from Piper nigrum L. enhanced bioavailability of beta lactam antibiotics, amoxycillin trihydrate and cefotaxime sodium significantly in rats. The improved bioavailability is reflected in various pharmacokinetic parameters viz. tmax, Cmax, t(1/2) and AUC, of these antibiotics. The increased bioavailability could be attributed to the effect of p...

A method employing nutrient saturated glass fiber filters allowed the isolation of the same numbers of cyanobacteria from freshwater as were obtained with medium solidified with agar, while providing a 2- to 15-fold reduction in the number of accompanying heterotrophic bacteria. Imipenem, a broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotic which inhibits peptidoglycan biosynthesis, was superior to some oth...

There is controversy over whether traditional intermittent bolus dosing or continuous infusion of beta-lactam antibiotics is preferable in critically ill patients. No significant difference between these two dosing strategies in terms of patient outcomes has been shown yet. This is despite compelling in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data. A lack of significance in cl...

OBJECTIVE(S) Drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii have emerged as a major problem in many hospitals and intensive care units. Various types of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are responsible for resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics in different parts of the world. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of integron class1 (INT 1) and ESBL types PER-1, PER-2 and ...

Many clinically effective therapeutic agents can exhibit localized and systemic effects that are manifestly different from their intended primary pharmacological mode of action. Macrolide antibiotics such as erythromycin and its derivatives are no exception. In addition to their antibacterial action, this class of antibiotics exhibits anti-inflammatory activity in a variety of airway diseases s...

We report here a total synthesis of nocardicin A. The antibiotic was obtained as a mixture of diastereoisomers that possessed approximately one quarter of the antibacterial activity of the naturally occurring material. Recently a new B-lactam antibiotic, nocardicin A, has been reported.1,2) This is the first example of a monocyclic B-lactam derivative having antimicrobial activity. We report he...

Abstract The -lactams and the related -sultams are attractive targets for synthesis because of their central importance in antibiotics such as the penicillins. These heterocycles are of further interest because of their potential as inhibitors of the serine protease class of enzymes, believed to be responsible for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and cystic fibrosis. This thesis will des...