Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of subinhibitory concentrations of amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin, telithromycin, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, tobramycin and doxycycline on pneumolysin production by a macrolide-susceptible strain and two macrolide-resistant strains [erm(B) or mef(A)] of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
METHODS: Please refer to abstract in article. RESULTS: Only the macrolides/macrolide-like agents caused significant attenuation of the production of pneumolysin, which was evident with all three strains of the pneumococcus.
CONCLUSIONS: Macrolides, at sub-MICs, but not other classes of antibiotic, subvert the production of pneumolysin, even in the presence of (and irrespective of the mechanism of) macrolide resistance in S. pneumoniae.
