Skip to main content
PMC home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1980 Dec;18(6):872–876. doi: 10.1128/aac.18.6.872

In vitro antagonism by erythromycin of the bactericidal action of antimicrobial agents against common respiratory pathogens.

J R Cohn, D L Jungkind, J S Baker
PMCID: PMC352981  PMID: 7235675

Abstract

Ten strains each of Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, Enterobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus pneumoniae were tested in vitro against erythromycin combined with ampicillin, cefamandole, or gentamicin. Antagonism by erythromycin occurred with 47% of the combinations involving strains of S. aureus and to a lesser degree with H. influenzae. Synergy occurred most commonly with H. influenzae (27%). The high frequency of antagonism and synergy with these organisms was associated with a broad range of bacteriostatic action by erythromycin against these same bacteria. The implications for the treatment of pneumonia are discussed.

Full text

PDF
872

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allen N. E., Epp J. K. Mechanism of penicillin-erythromycin synergy on antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1978 May;13(5):849–853. doi: 10.1128/aac.13.5.849. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bartlett J. G., Gorbach S. L., Tally F. P., Finegold S. M. Bacteriology and treatment of primary lung abscess. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1974 May;109(5):510–518. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1974.109.5.510. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Broome C. V., Cherry W. B., Winn W. C., Jr, MacPherson B. R. Rapid diagnosis of Legionnaires' disease by direct immunofluorescent staining. Ann Intern Med. 1979 Jan;90(1):1–4. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-90-1-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fiala M. A study of the combined role of viruses, mycoplasmas and bacteria in adult pneumonia. Am J Med Sci. 1969 Jan;257(1):44–51. doi: 10.1097/00000441-196901000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fraser D. W., Tsai T. R., Orenstein W., Parkin W. E., Beecham H. J., Sharrar R. G., Harris J., Mallison G. F., Martin S. M., McDade J. E. Legionnaires' disease: description of an epidemic of pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 1977 Dec 1;297(22):1189–1197. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197712012972201. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Griffith R. S., Brier G. L., Wolny J. D. Synergistic action of erythromycin and cefamandole against Bacteroides fragilis subsp. fragilis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 May;11(5):813–816. doi: 10.1128/aac.11.5.813. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. JAWETZ E., GUNNISON J. B., COLEMAN V. R., KEMPE H. C. A laboratory test for bacterial sensitivity to combinations of antibiotics. Am J Clin Pathol. 1955 Sep;25(9):1016–1031. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/25.9.1016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Jacobs M. R., Koornhof H. J., Robins-Browne R. M., Stevenson C. M., Vermaak Z. A., Freiman I., Miller G. B., Witcomb M. A., Isaäcson M., Ward J. I. Emergence of multiply resistant pneumococci. N Engl J Med. 1978 Oct 5;299(14):735–740. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197810052991402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jao R. L. Susceptibility of Mycoplasma pneumoniae to 21 antibiotics in vitro. Am J Med Sci. 1967 Jun;253(6):639–650. doi: 10.1097/00000441-196706000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kirby B. D., Snyder K. M., Meyer R. D., Finegold S. M. Legionnaires' disease: clinical features of 24 cases. Ann Intern Med. 1978 Sep;89(3):297–309. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-89-3-297. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LEPPER M. H., DOWLING H. F. Treatment of pneumococcic meningitis with penicillin compared with penicillin plus aureomycin; studies including observations on an apparent antagonism between penicillin and aureomycin. AMA Arch Intern Med. 1951 Oct;88(4):489–494. doi: 10.1001/archinte.1951.03810100073006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McDade J. E., Shepard C. C., Fraser D. W., Tsai T. R., Redus M. A., Dowdle W. R. Legionnaires' disease: isolation of a bacterium and demonstration of its role in other respiratory disease. N Engl J Med. 1977 Dec 1;297(22):1197–1203. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197712012972202. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mufson M. A., Chang V., Gill V., Wood S. C., Romansky M. J., Chanock R. M. The role of viruses, mycoplasmas and bacteria in acute pneumonia in civilian adults. Am J Epidemiol. 1967 Nov;86(3):526–544. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a120763. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. OLSSON R. A., KIRBY J. C., ROMANSKY M. J. Pneumococcal meningitis in the adult. Clinical, therapeutic, and prognostic aspects in forty-three patients. Ann Intern Med. 1961 Oct;55:545–549. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-55-4-545. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. STROM J. Penicillin and erythromycin singly and in combination in scarlatina therapy and the interference between them. Antibiot Chemother (Northfield) 1961 Nov;11:694–697. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sullivan R. J., Jr, Dowdle W. R., Marine W. M., Hierholzer J. C. Adult pneumonia in a general hospital. Etiology and host risk factors. Arch Intern Med. 1972 Jun;129(6):935–942. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES