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F Leitner

Publications and source records attributed to F Leitner.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Effect of assay medium on the antibacterial activity of certain penicillins and cephalosporins.

It is well known that the composition of the assay medium greatly affects the antimicrobial activity of aminoglycoside antibiotics. A similar response has now been observed with certain penicillins and cephalosporins. In the case of these compounds, this effect is apparently governed by the chemical nature of the penicillin 6- and cephalosporin 7-side chains. In comparison with their activity in Nutrient Broth, the activity of some of the beta-lactam antibiotics that have a weakly basic or basic group in their side chain was reduced as much as 40-fold in one or more of the following media: Mueller-Hinton, Trypticase soy, antibiotic assay, and heart infusion broths. In contrast, the assay medium had no effect on the activity of those compounds possessing an acidic or a nonionizable function in their side chain. The extent to which medium influences the antibacterial activity was also dependent upon the assay method and the organism, the effect being more pronounced in broth dilution than in agar dilution tests and occurring more frequently with gram-negative than with gram-positive organisms.

Cephalosporins↗

Microbiological properties of a new cephalosporin, BL-S 339: 7-(phenylacetimidoyl-aminoacetamido)-3-(2-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-5-ylthiomethyl)ceph-3-em-4-carboxylic acid.

BL-S 339 is a new broad-spectrum, parenterally effective cephalosporin whose expression of antibacterial activity in vitro is markedly affected by the nature of the assay medium. When assayed in nutrient agar, BL-S 339 was more active than cephalothin against strains of Diplococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter, and indole-positive Proteus sp. However, when assayed in Mueller-Hinton medium, its activity, especially against gram-negative bacteria, was reduced substantially, whereas the activity of cephalothin was virtually unaffected by the assay medium. The in vivo activity of BL-S 339 correlated well with its activity in nutrient agar; when administered subcutaneously to mice, it was therapeutically more efficacious than cephalothin in infections caused by both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. When BL-S 339 was administered intramuscularly to mice, the concentrations achieved in the blood were three times those achieved with cephalothin. BL-S 339 was bound to human serum proteins to the same extent as cephalothin. Recovery of BL-S 339 in the urine within the 24-hr period after intramuscular administration to rats was three times that of cephalothin.

Animals↗

Structure-activity relationships among a group of 7-(alpha-(N,N'-substituted-amidinothio)-acetamido) cephalosphoranic acids.

Structure-activity relationships were examined for a number of 7-[alpha-(N,N'-substituted-amidinothio)-acetamido] cephalosporanic acids, including several wherein the amidino group was cyclized into six, seven, and eight-membered rings and a series wherein alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, and alkynyl radicals were substituted on the nitrogens of the noncyclized amidino group. Derivatives containing an unsubstituted cyclized amidino group had comparable antibacterial activity in vitro and in general had a spectrum of activity broader than that of cephalothin, especially against cephalothin-resistant strains of Escherichia, Klebsiella, and Proteus. When administered parenterally, the cephalosporin with the six-membered cyclized amidino group was as effective as cephalothin in experimental infections of mice produced by cephalothin-sensitive gram-negative organisms and more efficacious in infections caused by cephalothin-resistant strains. Among the cephalosporins with noncyclized amidino groups, those with an ethyl substituent on one of the nitrogens and a C(2)-C(4) alkyl radical, particularly propyl on the other, were the most active. They not only had a better profile of activity in vitro than cephalothin and the cephalosporin derivatives having a cyclized amidino group, but were also more efficacious in infections of mice.

Acetamides↗

7-(Alpha-(1-methyl-4-pyridinothio)-acetamido) cephalosporanic acid.

7-[alpha-(1-Methyl-4-pyridiniothio)-acetamido] cephalosporanic acid, referred to herein as BL-S 217, is a new broad-spectrum semisynthetic cephalosporin that offers several advantages over cephalothin. A comparison of the activity in vitro of these antibiotics indicates that BL-S 217 is about eightfold more effective against Streptococcus pyogenes and Diplococcus pneumoniae. Against gram-negative bacteria, BL-S 217 possesses a broader antibacterial spectrum than cephalothin, particularly against members of the Enterobacteriaceae family; e.g., BL-S 217 inhibited over 20% more strains of both Escherichia coli and Klebsiella than cephalothin and also showed some advantage in tests against Salmonella and Enterobacter. Overall, of 208 strains of Enterobacteriaceae tested, 172 were susceptible to BL-S 217 compared to 149 for cephalothin. BL-S 217 was less bound to human serum proteins than cephalothin and gave higher peak blood levels in mice after intramuscular administration. The LD(50) of BL-S 217 in mice after subcutaneous administration was in excess of 4,000 mg/kg. When administered by the same route to mice experimentally infected with cephalothin-sensitive bacterial strains, this new cephalosporin was 20 times more effective than cephalothin in S. pyogenes and D. pneumoniae infections and 3 to 4 times more efficacious in an E. coli infection. Its therapeutic efficacy was comparable to that of cephalothin in infections produced by strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis.

Acetamides↗

Antipseudomonal activity of alpha-sulfoaminopenicillins.

A series of penicillins characterized by the presence of a sulfoamino or a modified sulfoamino group in the side chain was subjected to in vitro antimicrobial screening tests. Although the most potent members of the series were less active than benzylpenicillin against gram-positive bacteria and comparably active against most gram-negative bacteria, they were, on the average, 8 to 16 times more effective against strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In other comparative laboratory tests against P. aeruginosa, these compounds were about as active as carbenicillin and four to eight times more active than ampicillin. An examination of structure-activity relationships indicated that maximal potency was obtained with penicillins having an alpha-(aromatic or heteroaromatic)-alpha-sulfoaminoacetamido side chain. The compound with an alpha-phenyl group was comparable in activity to those having an alpha-(2- or 3-thienyl) group, whereas any modification in position or structure of the alpha-sulfoamino group reduced activity. Results of studies with a cell-free P. aeruginosa beta-lactamase suggest that the marked inhibitory effects of alpha-sulfoamino penicillins for P. aeruginosa can be attributed, at least in part, to their high degree of resistance to this enzyme. Some derivatives, however, had weak antipseudomonal activity, despite possessing a high degree of beta-lactamase resistance.

Ampicillin↗

Relation between iron uptake, pH of growth medium, and penicillinase formation in Staphylococcus aureus.

The uptake of iron and the formation of penicillinase was examined in cultures of wild-type Staphylococcus aureus. Uptake of iron was about twice as great at pH 4.7 as at pH 7.4 At pH 4.7, increase in iron uptake in the range of 1.0 to 4.0 mug per mg of bacterial protein was associated with a progressive increase in the rate of penicillinase formation, but a direct correlation between cellular iron content and rate of enzyme formation was not demonstrated. Addition of iron to deferrated medium enhanced penicillinase formation at pH 6.5 to 7.4 two- to fourfold in cultures induced with benzylpenicillin and in uninduced cultures. To demonstrate an effect on the uninduced cells, it was necessary to increase iron uptake by preliminary incubation of cells with iron in buffer. Calcium and certain other ions depressed iron uptake at acidic and at neutral pH, and, presumably as a result of this action, depressed the formation of penicillinase. Iron did not enhance penicillinase formation at pH 4.7 by two penicillinase constitutive mutants nor by wild-type cells undergoing induction at pH 6.5 by cephalosporin C or methicillin. After removal of cephalosporin C or methicillin during an early phase of induction, residual synthesis of enzyme was increased by prior uptake of iron. The results are considered compatible with the concept that uptake of iron, especially at acidic pH, interferes with the formation or function of penicillinase repressor.

Bacterial Proteins↗