[Interaction of neomycin with other antibiotics on selected bacterial strains]

Med Dosw Mikrobiol. 2004;56(2):187-98.
[Article in Polish]

Abstract

Antimicrobial combinations are used most frequently to provide broad-spectrum empirical coverage in the treatment of bacterial infections. However, combination of two antibiotics may not influence their activity, may lead to synergy or antagonism in the activity. Neomycin may be combined with one of the following antibiotics: ampicillin, procaine penicillin, gramicidin, bacitracin, polymyxin B, lincomycin, oxytetracycline, and erythromycin in some human and veterinary multiantibiotic drugs distributed in Poland. The checkerboard method has been one of the traditional assays for the measurement of antibiotic interactions. The aim of this study was to analyse the activity interaction of neomycin with second antibiotic in multiantibiotic drugs distributed in Poland on standards and clinical bacterial strains. Checkerboard results for all strains demonstrated synergism for 2.5% of combinations, only for standards strains. In one case Salmonella Enteritidis, in combination of neomycin with bacitracin, inhibition effect was observed. Additive effects were predominant--49%. In 18% neutral effects were shown, but in 26% of combinations FIC indexes were not possible to calculate, because of the resistance of clinical strains to the highest concentration of at least one antibiotic. In combination of aminoglycoside (neomycin) with beta-lactams antibiotics (ampicillin, procaine penicillin) in vitro, no synergy was observed for all examined strains. The best results were achieved for combinations of neomycin with peptide antibiotics (polymyxin, gramicidin and bacitracin)--5 for all 6 synergy effect observed.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacillus cereus / drug effects
  • Bacillus subtilis / drug effects
  • Bordetella bronchiseptica / drug effects
  • Drug Antagonism
  • Drug Combinations
  • Drug Synergism
  • Drug Therapy, Combination / pharmacology*
  • Escherichia coli / drug effects
  • Gram-Negative Bacteria / drug effects*
  • Gram-Positive Bacteria / drug effects*
  • Humans
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae / drug effects
  • Micrococcus luteus / drug effects
  • Neomycin / pharmacology*
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / drug effects
  • Salmonella enterica / drug effects
  • Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Drug Combinations
  • Neomycin