Penicillin

About: Penicillin is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 17916 publications have been published within this topic receiving 368480 citations. The topic is also known as: penicillin antibiotic & PCN.

HR 756, a highly active cephalosporin: comparison with cefazolin and carbenicillin.

Abstract: HR 756, a new parenteral cephalosporin, was compared with cefazolin and carbenicillin for activity against a total of 264 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Proteus mirabilis, Proteus spp. (indole positive), Enterobacter spp., Salmonella typhi, Serratia marcescens, Providencia stuartii, and Staphylococcus aureus. In every comparison, except that with the last organism, HR 756 was clearly more active than cefazolin and carbenicillin. All three compounds had similar activity against penicillin-susceptible staphylococci; against penicillin-resistant strains, HR 756 and cefazolin were equally active and superior to carbenicillin. HR 756 was compared with penicillin for activity against strains of Streptococcus pyogenes, Lancefield group D streptococci, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae; with ampicillin against Haemophilus influenzae; and with cefoxitin against Bacteriodes fragilis. HR 756 was clearly more active than the respective reference compounds in all of these comparisons, except those involving the streptococci. HR 756 and penicillin were essentially equally active against S. pyogenes; against Lancefield group D, penicillin was 32 times as active as HR 756. HR 756 not only compared favorably with the reference compounds with respect to relative activity, but also effected growth inhibition of essentially all test organisms (P. aeruginosa and group D streptococci excepted) at remarkably low concentrations ranging from 0.015 to 2.0 μg/ml. A series of seven transfers of selected strains of E. coli, Klebsiella spp., S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa through medium containing HR 756 led to emergence of strains with significant levels of resistance to the agent. Resistance to HR 756 was retained for at least seven transfers through plain medium.

In vitro evaluation of the interaction between tea extracts and penicillin G against staphylococcus aureus

Abstract: The herb-drug interaction between tea (Carmelia sinensis) extract and penicillin G (Pen G) was investigated against three strains of Staphylococcus aureus using pair combinations in an in vitro decimal assay for additivity test. Results showed that the interactions between penicillin G and tea extracts were mainly additive against the three strains of S. aureus. This suggests that the concomitant administration of tea and Pen G may not impair the antimicrobial activity of Pen G.

A mode of action of antibiotics in chick nutrition.

Abstract: Procaine penicillin [penicillin (procaine salt)] added to a good practical ration improved the growth of chicks in a laboratory used for poultry for ten years. Chicks from the same batch in two other laboratories, where birds had not been kept before, grew equally well on the ration with and without penicillin, and growth was the same as that on the penicillinsupplemented diet in the usual chick laboratory. The growth depression in the absence of dietary penicillin was not due to differences in management or to recognizable disease. It is suggested that it is due to an ‘infection’ hitherto undescribed and shown to be transmissible and counteracted by penicillin.

Emerging antibiotic resistance in ocular infections and the role of fluoroquinolones

Abstract: Resistance to antibiotic agents is becoming increasingly prevalent among ocular infections. Between 19% and 60% of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus isolates have been shown to be resistant to macrolide antibiotic agents, penicillin, and older fluoroquinolones. Although topical fluoroquinolones are considered first-line treatment of ocular infections, as much as 85% of methicillin-resistant S aureus isolates are resistant to ophthalmic fluoroquinolones, including the newer 8-methoxy fluoroquinolones, gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin. Besifloxacin, an 8-chlorofluoroquinolone, has a lower minimum inhibitory concentration against multidrug-resistant staphylococcal strains than other fluoroquinolones and less selective pressure for resistance development because of the lack of a systemic counterpart. In addition to the development of new antibacterial agents, antibiotic resistance in ocular infections may be reduced by following the same strategies used to minimize antimicrobial resistance in systemic infections.

Penicillin resistance of competent cells in deoxyribonucleic acid transformation of bacillus subtilis.

Abstract: Nester, E. W. (University of Washington, Seattle). Penicillin resistance of competent cells in deoxyribonucleic acid transformation of Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 87:867–875. 1964.—Transformants are resistant to penicillin killing for several hours after deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) addition. The present study indicates that this resistance is a consequence of such cells still remaining competent and is not the result of any interaction of donor DNA with the recipient cell. The following data support this conclusion: (i) the frequency of transformation can be increased five- to tenfold if penicillin acts on a competent culture prior to DNA addition; (ii) the percentage of competent cells in such a penicillin-treated culture calculated on the basis of a random coincidence of DNA molecules entering the same cell increases some 25-fold over that of a penicillin-nontreated population; (iii) the kinetics of penicillin killing of a recipient culture are identical whether or not transforming DNA has been added; (iv) the extent of killing by penicillin is related to the level of competence of the recipient culture; and (v) the kinetics of appearance and disappearance of competence in a population as well as in individual cells indicate that a cell may remain competent for 3 to 4 hr.