Activity of BMS-284756, a novel des-fluoro(6) quinolone, against Staphylococcus aureus, including contributions of mutations to quinolone resistance

Quinolone derivatives and their activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most common pathogen both in hospital and community settings, and is capable of causing serious and even fatal infections. Several antibiotics have been approved for the treatment of infections caused by MRSA, but MRSA has already developed resistance to them. More than ever, it's imperative to develop novel, high effective and fast acting anti-MRSA agents. Quinolones are one of the most common antibiotics in clinical practice used to treat various bacterial infections, and some of them displayed excellent in vitro and in vivo anti-MRSA activities, so quinolone derivatives are one of the most promising candidates. This review summarizes the recent developments of quinolone derivatives with potential activity against MRSA, and the structure-activity relationship is also discussed.

A Review of New Fluoroquinolones : Focus on their Use in Respiratory Tract Infections

The new respiratory fluoroquinolones (gatifloxacin, gemifloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and on the horizon, garenoxacin) offer many improved qualities over older agents such as ciprofloxacin. These include retaining excellent activity against Gram-negative bacilli, with improved Gram-positive activity (including Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus). In addition, gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin and garenoxacin all demonstrate increased anaerobic activity (including activity against Bacteroides fragilis). The new fluoroquinolones possess greater bioavailability and longer serum half-lives compared with ciprofloxacin. The new fluoroquinolones allow for once-daily administration, which may improve patient adherence. The high bioavailability allows for rapid step down from intravenous administration to oral therapy, minimizing unnecessary hospitalization, which may decrease costs and improve quality of life of patients. Clinical trials involving the treatment of community-acquired respiratory infections (acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, acute sinusitis, and community-acquired pneumonia) demonstrate high bacterial eradication rates and clinical cure rates. In the treatment of community-acquired respiratory tract infections, the various new fluoroquinolones appear to be comparable to each other, but may be more effective than macrolide or cephalosporin-based regimens. However, additional data are required before it can be emphatically stated that the new fluoroquinolones as a class are responsible for better outcomes than comparators in community-acquired respiratory infections. Gemifloxacin (except for higher rates of hypersensitivity), levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin have relatively mild adverse effects that are more or less comparable to ciprofloxacin. In our opinion, gatifloxacin should not be used, due to glucose alterations which may be serious. Although all new fluoroquinolones react with metal ion-containing drugs (antacids), other drug interactions are relatively mild compared with ciprofloxacin. The new fluoroquinolones gatifloxacin, gemifloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin have much to offer in terms of bacterial eradication, including activity against resistant respiratory pathogens such as penicillin-resistant, macrolide-resistant, and multidrug-resistant S. pneumoniae. However, ciprofloxacin-resistant organisms, including ciprofloxacin-resistant S. pneumoniae, are becoming more prevalent, thus prudent use must be exercised when prescribing these valuable agents.

In vitro and in vivo profiles of ACH-702, an isothiazoloquinolone, against bacterial pathogens

ACH-702, a novel isothiazoloquinolone (ITQ), was assessed for antibacterial activity against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative clinical isolates and found to possess broad-spectrum activity, especially against antibiotic-resistant Gram-positive strains, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). For Gram-negative bacteria, ACH-702 showed exceptional potency against Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and a Neisseria sp. but was less active against members of the Enterobacteriaceae. Good antibacterial activity was also evident against several anaerobes as well as Legionella pneumophila and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Excellent bactericidal activity was observed for ACH-702 against several bacterial pathogens in time-kill assays, and postantibiotic effects (PAEs) of >1 h were evident with both laboratory and clinical strains of staphylococci at 10 × MIC and similar in most cases to those observed for moxifloxacin at the same MIC multiple. In vivo efficacy was demonstrated against S. aureus with murine sepsis and thigh infection models, with decreases in the number of CFU/thigh equal to or greater than those observed after vancomycin treatment. Macromolecular synthesis assays showed specific dose-dependent inhibition of DNA replication in staphylococci, and biochemical analyses indicated potent dual inhibition of two essential DNA replication enzymes: DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. Additional biological data in support of an effective dual targeting mechanism of action include the following: low MIC values (≤0.25 μg/ml) against staphylococcal strains with single mutations in both gyrA and grlA (parC), retention of good antibacterial activity (MICs of ≤0.5 μg/ml) against staphylococcal strains with two mutations in both gyrA and grlA, and low frequencies for the selection of higher-level resistance (<10⁻¹⁰). These promising initial data support further study of isothiazoloquinolones as potential clinical candidates.

Dual targeting of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV: target interactions of heteroaryl isothiazolones in Staphylococcus aureus

Heteroaryl isothiazolones (HITZs) are antibacterial agents that display excellent in vitro activity against Staphylococcus aureus. We recently identified a series of these compounds that show potent bactericidal activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We report here the results of in vitro resistance studies that reveal potential underlying mechanisms of action. HITZs selected gyrA mutations exclusively in first-step mutants of wild-type S. aureus, indicating that in contrast to the case with most quinolones, DNA gyrase is the primary target. The compounds displayed low mutation frequencies (10(-9) to 10(-10)) at concentrations close to the MICs and maintained low MICs (< or =0.016 microg/ml) against mutants with single mutations in either gyrA or grlA (parC). These data suggested that HITZs possess significant inhibitory activities against target enzymes, DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. This dual-target inhibition was supported by low 50% inhibitory concentrations against topoisomerase IV as measured in a decatenation activity assay and against DNA gyrase as measured in a supercoiling activity assay. Good antibacterial activities (< or =1 microg/ml) against staphylococcal gyrA grlA double mutants, as well as low frequencies (10(-9) to 10(-10)) of selection of still higher-level mutants, also suggested that HITZs remained active against mutant enzymes. We further demonstrated that HITZs exhibit good inhibition of both S. aureus mutant enzymes and thus continue to possess a novel dual-targeting mode of action against these mutant strains. In stepwise acquisition of mutations, HITZs selected quinolone resistance determining region mutations gyrA(Ser84Leu), grlA(Ser80Phe), grlA(Ala116Val), and gyrA(Glu88Lys) sequentially, suggesting that the corresponding amino acids are key amino acids involved in the binding of HITZs to topoisomerases. The overall profile of these compounds suggests the potential utility of HITZs in combating infections caused by S. aureus, including multidrug-resistant MRSA.

In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of heteroaryl isothiazolones against resistant gram-positive pathogens

The activities of several tricyclic heteroaryl isothiazolones (HITZs) against an assortment of gram-positive and gram-negative clinical isolates were assessed. These compounds target bacterial DNA replication and were found to possess broad-spectrum activities especially against gram-positive strains, including antibiotic-resistant staphylococci and streptococci. These included methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-nonsusceptible staphylococci, and quinolone-resistant strains. The HITZs were more active than the comparator antimicrobials in most cases. For gram-negative bacteria, the tested compounds were less active against members of the family Enterobacteriaceae but showed exceptional potencies against Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Neisseria spp. Good activity against several anaerobes, as well as Legionella pneumophila and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, was also observed. Excellent bactericidal activity against staphylococci was observed in time-kill assays, with an approximately 3-log drop in the numbers of CFU/ml occurring after 4 h of exposure to compound. Postantibiotic effects (PAEs) of 2.0 and 1.7 h for methicillin-susceptible S. aureus and MRSA strains, respectively, were observed, and these were similar to those seen with moxifloxacin at 10x MIC. In vivo efficacy was demonstrated in murine infections by using sepsis and thigh infection models. The 50% protective doses were <or=1 mg/kg of body weight against S. aureus in the sepsis model, while decreases in the numbers of CFU per thigh equal to or greater than those detected in animals treated with a standard dose of vancomycin were seen in the animals with thigh infections. Pharmacokinetic analyses of treated mice indicated exposures similar to those to ciprofloxacin at equivalent dose levels. These promising initial data suggest further study on the use of the HITZs as antibacterial agents.

The anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus quinolone WCK 771 has potent activity against sequentially selected mutants, has a narrow mutant selection window against quinolone-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and preferentially targets DNA gyrase

WCK 771 is a broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone with enhanced activity against quinolone-resistant staphylococci. To understand the impact of the target-level interactions of WCK 771 on its antistaphylococcal pharmacodynamic properties, we determined the MICs for genetically defined mutants and studied the mutant prevention concentrations (MPCs), the frequency of mutation, and the cidality against the wild type and double mutants. There was a twofold increase in the MICs of WCK 771 for single gyrA mutants, indicating that DNA gyrase is its primary target. All first- and second-step mutants selected by WCK 771 revealed gyrA and grlA mutations, respectively. The MICs of WCK 771 and clinafloxacin were found to be superior to those of other quinolones against strains with double and triple mutations. WCK 771 was also cidal for high-density double mutants at low concentrations. WCK 771 and clinafloxacin showed narrow mutant selection windows compared to those of the other quinolones. Against a panel of 50 high-level quinolone-resistant clinical isolates of staphylococci (ciprofloxacin MIC > or = 16 microg/ml), the WCK 771 MPCs were < or =2 microg/ml for 68% of the strains and < or =4 microg/ml for 28% of the strains. Our results demonstrate that gyrA is the primary target of WCK 771 and that it has pharmacodynamic properties remarkably different from those of quinolones with dual targets (garenoxacin and moxifloxacin) and topoisomerase IV-specific quinolones (trovafloxacin). WCK 771 displayed an activity profile comparable to that of clinafloxacin, a dual-acting quinolone with a high affinity to DNA gyrase. Overall, the findings signify the key role of DNA gyrase in determining the optimal antistaphylococcal features of quinolones.

Pharmacodynamic modeling of the evolution of levofloxacin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus

Previously, we demonstrated the importance of low-level-resistant variants to the evolution of resistance in Staphylococcus aureus exposed to ciprofloxacin in an in vitro system and developed a pharmacodynamic model which predicted the emergence of resistance. Here, we examine and model the evolution of resistance to levofloxacin in S. aureus exposed to simulated levofloxacin pharmacokinetic profiles. Enrichment of subpopulations with mutations in grlA and low-level resistance varied with levofloxacin exposure. A regimen producing average steady-state concentrations (Cavg ss) just above the MIC selected grlA mutants with up to 16-fold increases in the MIC and often additional mutations in grlA/grlB and gyrA. A regimen providing Cavg ss between the MIC and the mutant prevention concentration (MPC) suppressed bacterial numbers to the limit of detection and prevented the appearance of bacteria with additional mutations or high-level resistance. Regimens producing Cavg ss above the MPC appeared to eradicate low-level-resistant variants in the cultures and prevent the emergence of resistance. There was no relationship between the time concentrations remained between the MIC and the MPC and the degree of resistance or the presence or type of mutations that appeared in grlA/B or gyrA. Our pharmacodynamic model described the growth and levofloxacin killing of the parent strains and the most resistant grlA mutants in the starting cultures and correctly predicted conditions that enrich subpopulations with low-level resistance. These findings suggest that the pharmacodynamic model has general applicability for describing fluoroquinolone resistance in S. aureus and further demonstrate the importance of low-level-resistant variants to the evolution of resistance.

Increasing prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus causing nosocomial infections at a university hospital in Taiwan from 1986 to 2001

A rapid emergence of nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection (from 26.3% in 1986 to 77% in 2001) was found. The susceptibility of 200 nonduplicate blood isolates of MRSA and 100 MRSA isolates causing refractory bacteremia to 22 antimicrobial agents disclosed that glycopeptides, quinupristin-dalfopristin, and linezolid remained the most active agents.

In vitro antibacterial activity and pharmacodynamics of new quinolones

This synopsis of published literature summarises data on the in vitro antibacterial activity and pharmacodynamics of fluoroquinolones. Data were compiled for ciprofloxacin, levofloxcin, moxifloxacin, gatifloxacin, grepafloxacin, gemifloxacin, trovafloxacin, sitafloxacin and garenoxacin. All of these quinolones are almost equipotent against gram-negative bacteria but demonstrate improved activity against gram-positive species. The new quinolones are uniformly active against gram-positive species except Streptococcus pneumoniae; against which gemifloxacin, sitafloxacin and garenoxacin are one to two dilution steps more active than moxifloxacin. All of the new quinolones except gemifloxacin demonstrate enhanced activity against anaerobes. Since all the new quinolones show similar activity against the major respiratory tract pathogens except Streptococcus pneumoniae and members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics will be clinically relevant differentiators and determinants of their overall activity and efficacy. In vitro simulations of serum concentrations revealed that (i). gemifloxacin and levofloxacin were significantly and gatifloxacin moderately less active than moxifloxacin against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus, and (ii). resistant subpopulations emerged following exposure to levofloxacin and gatifloxacin (gemifloxacin not yet published) but not to moxifloxacin. The emergence of resistance is a function of drug concentrations achievable in vivo and the susceptibility pattern of the target organisms. Therefore, the use of less potent fluoroquinolones with borderline or even suboptimal pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic surrogate parameters will inadvertently foster the development of class resistance. Drugs with the most favourable pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic characteristics should be used as first-line agents in order to preserve the potential of this drug class and, most importantly, to provide the patient with an optimally effective regimen.

Mutant prevention concentration of garenoxacin (BMS-284756) for ciprofloxacin-susceptible or -resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The new quinolone garenoxacin (BMS-284756), which lacks a C-6 fluorine, was examined for its ability to block the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Measurement of the MIC and the mutant prevention concentration (MPC) revealed that garenoxacin was 20-fold more potent than ciprofloxacin for a variety of ciprofloxacin-susceptible isolates, some of which were resistant to methicillin. The MPC for 90% of the isolates (MPC(90)) was below published serum drug concentrations achieved with recommended doses of garenoxacin. These in vitro observations suggest that garenoxacin has a low propensity for selective enrichment of fluoroquinolone-resistant mutants among ciprofloxacin-susceptible isolates of S. aureus. For ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates, the MIC at which 90% of the isolates tested were inhibited was below serum drug concentrations while the MPC(90) was not. Thus, for these strains, garenoxacin concentrations are expected to fall inside the mutant selection window (between the MIC and the MPC) for much of the treatment time. As a result, garenoxacin is expected to selectively enrich mutants with even lower susceptibility.

Actividad in vitro comparativa de garenoxacino (BMS-284756). Programa SENTRY España (1999-2000)

INTRODUCTION

To evaluate the in vitro activity of the new des-fluoro quinolone, garenoxacin (BMS-284756), compared to activities of ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and gatifloxacin in clinical isolates recovered over 1999 and 2000 within the SENTRY antimicrobial surveillance program.

METHODS

Quinolone-MICs were performed using the standard NCCLS microdilution technique in 2599 isolates recovered from Hospital Ramón y Cajal (Madrid), Virgen Macarena (Sevilla), and Bellvitge (Barcelona).

RESULTS

The modal MIC range value exhibited by garenoxacin ( < or = 0.03-0.12 mg/L) for Enterobacteriaceae was similar to that of the other quinolones tested. A total of 70% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were susceptible to garenoxacin and 85% to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin. Garenoxacin exhibited the highest activity in Staphylococcus aureus, including both methicillin-susceptible and -resistant isolates, with MIC90 values of < or = 0.03 and 2 mg/L, respectively. All Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates were susceptible to garenoxacin, regardless of their penicillin susceptibility status; in terms of MIC90, garenoxacin was 16 times more active than ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin and 4-8 times more active than gatifloxacin. All 6 ciprofloxacin-resistant S. pneumoniae strains showed garenoxacin MIC values ranging from < or = 0.03 to 0.5 mg/L. In Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis, garenoxacin displayed excellent in vitro activity (MIC < or = 0.06 mg/L), similar to that of the other quinolones tested.

CONCLUSIONS

Garenoxacin activity was similar to the activity of other quinolones in Enterobacteriaceae, but was lower in P. aeruginosa. Garenoxacin activity was clearly higher than that of other quinolones in gram-positive isolates, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus and S. pneumoniae with reduced penicillin susceptibility.

Antimicrobial activity of a novel des-fluoro (6) quinolone, garenoxacin (BMS-284756), compared to other quinolones, against clinical isolates from cancer patients

The in vitro spectrum of a novel des-fluoro (6) quinolone, garenoxacin (BMS-284756), was compared with that of ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and trovafloxacin against 736 clinical isolates from cancer patients. Garenoxacin was the most active agent overall against Gram-positive organisms, with potent activity against Aerococcus spp., Micrococcus spp., Rhodococcus equi, Stomatococcus mucilaginous, Bacillus spp., Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria monocytogenes, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus spp., and all beta-hemolytic and viridans streptococci. Although ciprofloxacin was the most active agent tested against the Enterobacteriaceae garenoxacin inhibited the majority of these isolates at <or=4.0 microg/ml, its proposed susceptibility break-point. All 4 agents had sub-optimal activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and variable activity against other non-fermenters, with Stenotrophomonas maltophila and Alcaligenes spp. being the most resistant isolates. The overall broad spectrum of garenoxacin warrants its evaluation for the prevention or treatment of infections in cancer patients.