D. Baron

Pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and efficacy of liposomal capreomycin in disseminated Mycobacterium avium beige mouse model.

Capreomycin was incorporated into multilamellar vesicles of pure dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. The pharmacokinetics and nephrotoxicity of capreomycin in the free and liposomal forms were studied in normal mice. The efficacies of the two forms were evaluated by using the Mycobacterium avium complex beige mouse model. Approximately 10(7) viable M. avium cells were injected intravenously. Seven days later, treatment with either liposomal or free capreomycin at 60 or 120 mg/kg of body weight was administered daily for 5 days. Mice were sacrificed 5 days after the end of treatment, and the viable bacteria in liver, spleen, lungs, and blood were counted. After 5 days of treatment with dosages of 60 or 120 mg/kg/day, the level of blood urea nitrogen increased in the group treated with free capreomycin but not in the group treated with liposomal capreomycin. After intravenous injection of 120 mg/kg, liposomes enhanced the diffusion of capreomycin in the spleen, lungs, and kidneys and increased the half-life in serum. The 120-mg/kg dose of liposomal capreomycin significantly reduced the number of viable mycobacteria in the liver, spleen, and blood compared with those in the controls. Although these results are promising, further studies are needed to assess the efficacy of liposomal capreomycin for the treatment of M. avium complex infections.

Impact of dosage schedule on the efficacy of gentamicin, tobramycin, or amikacin in an experimental model of Serratia marcescens endocarditis: in vitro-in vivo correlation.

Aminoglycosides are usually considered to be concentration-dependent antibiotics and to have similar pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties. To verify the equivalent activity of the aminoglycosides on a susceptible strain, we tested the killing rate of three aminoglycosides (gentamicin, tobramycin, and amikacin) on one strain of Serratia marcescens both in vitro and in vivo by using a rabbit model of left-ventricle endocarditis. Despite, similar MICs, the time-kill curve of gentamicin was consistently better than those of amikacin and tobramycin, whatever the concentration of each antibiotic used (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 mg/liter), after a 5-h incubation. The in vivo bacterial reduction in the vegetations was measured 24 h after administration of an intravenous 48-mg/kg bolus of each antibiotic or at the end of a 24-h continuous intravenous infusion of the same dose. Gentamicin was significantly more effective when administered as a bolus than when administered as a continuous infusion (2.8 +/- 0.2 versus 6.4 +/- 1.5 log10 CFU/g of vegetation, respectively; P less than 0.01), whereas amikacin was more effective as a continuous infusion than as a bolus injection (3.6 +/- 2.0 versus 7.5 +/- 1.3 log10 CFU/g of vegetation, respectively; P less than 0.01). Tobramycin was not very effective, whatever the dosage tested (approximately 6.5 to 7 log10 CFU/g). These results suggest that concentration-dependent bactericidal activities, both in vitro and in vivo, may vary greatly among aminoglycosides despite similar MICs.

Identification of factors affecting in vivo aminoglycoside activity in an experimental model of gram-negative endocarditis.

Aminoglycoside bactericidal activity during the first 24 h of treatment probably is a determining parameter in the prognosis of severe gram-negative infections in immunocompromised patients. To identify the predictive factors involved in the definition of the best therapeutic regimen for Enterobacter cloacae and Serratia marcescens infections, we studied different gentamicin, tobramycin, and amikacin regimens by using an experimental model of rabbit endocarditis. Two factors appear to play an important role in predicting in vivo efficacy: (i) the level of in vivo bactericidal activity, which can differ widely from one aminoglycoside to another for the same bacterial strain and from one strain to another of the same species, and (ii) the critical serum drug concentration (CSC, in milligrams per liter), defined as the lowest serum antibiotic concentration capable of producing a significant CFU reduction (P less than 0.05) in endocarditis vegetations 24 h after the beginning of a continuous infusion. Stepwise regression analysis showed that for gentamicin and S. marcescens, the area under the concentration-time curve above the CSC and then the time above the CSC are the determining parameters for efficacy (R = 0.69; F = 13.5; P = 0.001), whereas for amikacin and S. marcescens, the time above the CSC and then the area under the concentration-time curve above the CSC predict efficacy (R = 0.74; F = 24.0; P = 0.0001). The lowest CSC is that of amikacin (about 8 mg/liter); those of gentamicin and tobramycin are about 15 mg/liter. In severe S. marcescens infections, intermittent amikacin dosing offers excellent bactericidal activity within the first 24 h.

Comparative efficacies of ciprofloxacin and pefloxacin alone or in combination with fosfomycin in experimental endocarditis induced by multidrug-susceptible and -resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The in vivo efficacy of ciprofloxacin or pefloxacin alone or in combination with fosfomycin was evaluated in experimental aortic valve endocarditis induced in 133 rabbits by a multidrug-susceptible or multidrug-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Therapy was initiated early (12 h after infection), when bacterial counts in aortic valve vegetations were relatively low, or late (48 h after infection), when vegetations contained a larger inoculum. Antibodies were administered as a continuous 24-h intravenous infusion. Mean steady-state levels of ciprofloxacin (64 mg/kg), pefloxacin (64 mg/kg), and fosfomycin (300 mg/kg) in serum were 2.5, 4.2, and 63.9 mg/liter, respectively. For the multidrug-susceptible strain, all regimens except pefloxacin alone significantly reduced the number of CFU per gram of vegetation versus controls, whether treatment was performed early or late. For the multidrug-resistant strain, none of the regimens showed differences from untreated controls, except ciprofloxacin-fosfomycin, which significantly reduced bacterial counts in vegetations compared with controls when therapy was begun early (4.1 +/- 1.1 log10 CFU/g of vegetation; P < 0.001 versus the control). These data suggest that combination of fosfomycin with ciprofloxacin or pefloxacin is more effective than ciprofloxacin or pefloxacin alone for the therapy of severe infections caused by multidrug-susceptible P. aeruginosa.

Bactericidal effect of pefloxacin and fosfomycin againstPseudomonas aeruginosa in a rabbit endocarditis model with pharmacokinetics of pefloxacin in humans simulated in vivo

The bactericidal activity of pefloxacin and fosfomycin alone and in combination againstPseudomonas aeruginosa was evaluated in an experimental rabbit endocarditis model after 24 h of treatment. Two strains with intermediate susceptibility to pefloxacin and good susceptibility to fosfomycin were tested. The serum kinetics obtained during administration of 400 mg every 12 h in humans were simulated in the animals using computer-controlled variable-flow infusion. Fosfomycin was administered as a continuous infusion at a constant flow, allowing a steady-state concentration of 47.4±11.9 mg/ml to be reached in serum. In valvular vegetations, pefloxacin was less bactericidal than fosfomycin, and in combination treatment, it reduced (but did not abolish) the bactericidal effect of fosfomycin. The duration of the pretreatment interval (12–48 h) had a negative effect on the bactericidal activity of both drugs, especially that of fosfomycin.

In vivo bactericidal activities of ciprofloxacin and pefloxacin in an experimental model of Serratia marcescens endocarditis.

The critical concentrations of pefloxacin and ciprofloxacin in serum, corresponding to the lowest concentration in serum able to achieve a 2-log-unit reduction in the CFU in vegetations after a 24-h exposure at a steady-state concentration obtained by a continuous intravenous infusion, were determined in an experimental model of Serratia marcescens endocarditis in rabbits. In vitro data showed that the MICs of ciprofloxacin and pefloxacin were 0.06 and 0.25 mg/liter, respectively. The killing curves indicated a maximum killing rate at a concentration four times that of the MICs. In vivo, the critical concentrations of pefloxacin and ciprofloxacin in serum were 0.4 and 0.24 mg/liter, respectively, corresponding to a concentration of four times the MICs.

In vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of liposomal and free itraconazole against Candida albicans

Abstract Killing curves for both free and liposomal itraconazole were measured against Candida albicans . The in vivo efficacy of both itraconazole formulations was assessed in a murine model of systemic candidiasis. There was no fungicidal effect in vitro, and the in vitro time-kill curves were not predictive of the in vivo efficacy of both formulations of itraconazole. In vivo, treated mice survived longer than the control mice, but there were no significant differences between the two treated groups.