Combination drug testing of Mycobacterium chelonae

• Published in: Investigative ophthalmology & visual science Vol. 34; no. 9; pp. 2786 - 2789
• Main Authors: Matoba, AY, Lee, BL, Robinson, NM, Penland, R, Osato, MS
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rockville, MD ARVO 01.08.1993; Association for Research in Vision and Ophtalmology
• Subjects: Amikacin - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Corneal Ulcer - drug therapy; Corneal Ulcer - microbiology; Drug Synergism; Drug Therapy, Combination - pharmacology; Eye; Eye Infections, Bacterial - drug therapy; Humans; Medical sciences; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Mycobacterium chelonae - drug effects; Mycobacterium chelonae - isolation & purification; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - drug therapy; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Drug combination; Cornea; Keratitis; Mycosis; Treatment efficiency; Keratopathy; In vitro; Infection; Eye disease; Antibiotic; Mycobacterium chelonei; Mycobacteriales; Mycobacteriaceae; Bacteria; Actinomycetes; Antibacterial agent
• ISSN: 0146-0404; 1552-5783

Medical therapy of Mycobacterium chelonae keratitis is difficult because there are so few effective antimicrobial agents and single agent therapy frequently fails clinically. To identify more effective medical treatment regimens, the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of amikacin, the most frequently used single agent, was investigated in combination with four antibiotics previously reported to have activity against M. chelonae: erythromycin, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, and vancomycin. The drug combinations were tested by the checkerboard method against seven corneal isolates of M. chelonae. The combination of amikacin with erythromycin or vancomycin consistently led to synergistic or additive effect, however the minimum inhibitory concentrations for vancomycin were very high. The combination of amikacin with imipenem or ciprofloxacin led to results ranging from antagonism to additive effects. Of the antibiotics tested, erythromycin showed the most activity against M. chelonae in combination with amikacin. In vitro combination drug testing of M. chelonae by the checkerboard method should be further evaluated for clinical relevance in microbial keratitis.