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Antimicrobial spectrum of triclosan, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent for topical application. II. Comparison with some other antimicrobial agents.

The antimicrobial activity of 5-chloro-2(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) phenol (triclosan, one of the active ingredients of Logamel, Ciba-Geigy) was compared in vitro with that of other antimicrobials exclusively or occasionally used as topical agents in dermatology: hexachlorophene, clioquinol, chlorquinaldol. gentamicin, neomycin, nystatin, econazole, clotrimazole and salicylic acid. Upon determination of the MICs for 53 strains of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, yeasts and fungi, triclosan was found to display a high degree of activity against most of the test organisms and to have the broadest spectrum of chemotherapeutically significant antimicrobial activity of the substances tested.

Administration, Topical

Evaluation of Oxford nanopore sequencing for antimicrobial resistance surveillance in Salmonella: comparison with phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility in a large-scale study.

UNLABELLED: Salmonella is a major zoonotic foodborne pathogen, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Salmonella presents a significant public health challenge. Compared with conventional antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), whole-genome sequencing (WGS) provides a more rapid and comprehensive approach to AMR characterization, thereby informing antimicrobial selection and supporting public health surveillance. In this study, Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT)-based WGS was performed on 1,490 Salmonella isolates collected through nationwide surveillance in Taiwan in 2025. Genotypic resistance inferred from WGS data was compared with phenotypic AST results to assess the performance of ONT-WGS. Overall, WGS-inferred resistance showed high concordance with phenotypic resistance for most antimicrobials. However, major genotype-phenotype discordance was observed, attributed to four categories: (i) breakpoint-dependent classification, (ii) reduced or absent phenotypic expression of resistance genes, (iii) minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) modulation by ramAp, and (iv) absence of known AMR determinants. Notable discrepancies included tigecycline resistance without known genetic determinants, nalidixic acid resistance linked to ramAp-mediated MIC elevation, and a high prevalence of colistin resistance (35.7%) in S. Enteritidis, with most resistant isolates lacking identifiable AMR determinants. Additionally, a significant proportion of ESBL- and AmpC-producing isolates were classified as susceptible or intermediate to cefotaxime and ceftazidime under CLSI criteria, highlighting the potential for misclassification and treatment failure. These findings demonstrate that ONT-WGS enables accurate and comprehensive AMR characterization by directly identifying resistance determinants and avoiding potential misclassification associated with breakpoint-based AST interpretations. When interpreted appropriately, WGS can support better antimicrobial selection and serve as a valuable alternative to conventional susceptibility testing. IMPORTANCE: Accurate prediction of antimicrobial resistance is essential for appropriate therapy and effective surveillance of Salmonella. However, discordance between genotype-based predictions and phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) can complicate clinical interpretation. In this nationwide study of 1,490 Salmonella isolates, we show that Oxford Nanopore Technology-based whole-genome sequencing (ONT-WGS) provides rapid and comprehensive detection of antimicrobial resistance determinants with high concordance to phenotypic AST. We further identify four major mechanisms underlying genotype-phenotype discordance, including breakpoint-dependent classification, reduced or absent phenotypic expression of resistance genes, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) modulation by ramAp, and the absence of known AMR determinants. These findings demonstrate how WGS can complement conventional AST, improve interpretation of challenging susceptibility results, and strengthen genomic surveillance of emerging antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella.

Microbial Sensitivity Tests

Hospital use of antimicrobial drugs. Survey at 19 hospitals and results of antimicrobial control program.

Costs and use of antimicrobial agents in 1976 at 19 hospitals were surveyed by review of pharmacy records. Total costs of antimicrobial drugs at individual hospitals ranged from $0.65 to $1.75 per patient day and accounted for 16% to 41% of total pharmacy drug costs. There was marked variation among hospitals in use of specific antimicrobial agents, especially cephalosporins and clindamycin. The cephalosporin and aminoglycoside antibiotics accounted for 66% of the total cost of antimicrobial agents. An 18-month antimicrobial drug control program at one hospital decreased antimicrobial drug costs by 31%. The major effect was in reducing cephalosporin use. The results of the control program document that a significant portion of hospital antimicrobial use is inappropriate and can be eliminated without apparent detriment to patient care.

Anti-Bacterial Agents

Influence of antimicrobial consumption (AMC) on the detection of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in urban wastewater.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health threat, causing over 1.27 million deaths annually and linked to an additional 4.95 million. AMR transmission occurs beyond clinical settings, with wastewater serving as a sentinel of community-level spread. This study investigated how temporal changes in antimicrobial consumption (AMC) correlate with the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater, using wastewater surveillance (WS) to monitor resistance trends in Quebec, Canada. METHODOLOGY: AMC data (January 2019-May 2023) were obtained from the Institut National de Sant&#xe9; Publique du Qu&#xe9;bec (INSPQ) under a license from IQVIA Solutions Canada Inc. Wastewater samples (September 2020-September 2022) were obtained from three WWTPs and screened for 11 ARGs, including blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX-M, blaNDM, blaOXA-1/30, qnrA, qnrB, mphE, and mefA. Analyses assessed temporal and spatial associations between AMC and ARGs. RESULTS: Total prescriptions declined from 537 to 392 per 1000 inhabitants between 2019 and 2020 (-27&#xa0;%), likely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift created a contrast that allowed us to better capture the signal of AMC through the noise in wastewater composition. &#x3b2;-lactams, macrolides, and fluoroquinolones were the most prescribed classes. ARGs were consistently detected in all 41 samples, with macrolide resistance genes being the most abundant. Strong correlations were observed between AMC and ARG prevalence in wastewater, particularly for &#x3b2;-lactams and fluoroquinolones (Spearman R&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.80 and 0.81, p&#xa0;<&#xa0;0.05). Spatial patterns showed uniform AMC but variable ARG levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the correlation between AMC and ARG. WS shows promise for real-time AMR monitoring.

Wastewater

National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System: Three Decades of Advancing Public Health Through Integrated Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria and other microorganisms adapt in ways that make medicines less effective, causing infections that are harder to treat and more likely to spread. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), AMR infections affect millions of Americans each year and contribute to thousands of deaths (CDC, 2019). After three decades of operation, the U.S. National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) stands as a model of sustained, collaborative public health surveillance. What began in 1996 as an effort to track resistance in Salmonella and E. coli O157 has evolved into a One Health surveillance network monitoring AMR across the farm-to-fork continuum. Through a partnership among CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), state and local health departments, and universities, NARMS has become the backbone of foodborne AMR surveillance in the United States. The past decade has been particularly transformative. NARMS explored new sampling to include companion animals, minor livestock, aquaculture, surface water, and wildlife. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) revolutionized the program's capabilities, enabling timely identification of emerging pathogens and revealing how resistance genes spread. Near real-time public dashboards make NARMS data accessible to researchers, clinicians, regulators, and policymakers. NARMS data shape decisions about new animal drug approvals, guide stewardship programs, and inform clinical treatment guidelines nationwide. As NARMS enters its fourth decade with a 2026-2030 strategic plan, the program will leverage artificial intelligence and metagenomics while expanding surveillance to fill remaining gaps ensuring this vital system continues to protect the food supply and both human and animal health from AMR.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Antimicrobial properties of some West African medicinal plants iv. Antimicrobial activity of xylopic acid and other constituente of the fruits of Xylopia aethiopica (Annonaceae).

Xylopic acid and four other isolates from the fresh ripe fruits of Xylopia aethiopica a common ingredient in several Ghanaian folklore medicines and foods, have been examined for antimicrobial activity against five micro-organisms, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. Xylopic acid and two other diterpene isolates were found to have antimicrobial properties.

Anti-Bacterial Agents

Antimicrobial systems of the surgical wound. II. Detection of antimicrobial protein in cell-free wound fluid.

Human wound fluid contains heat-stable proteins with moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and different heat-labile proteins with antibacterial activity against E coli. Blood serum also contains heat-labile antibacterial substances, but little heat-stable activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Both blood serum and wound fluid have bacteriostatic activity against S epidermidis, and early growth of Streptococcus fecalis occurs in serum and wound fluids. The concentration or activity of antimicrobial proteins increases during the first week in the fresh wound and then decreases as the wound matures.

Blood Bactericidal Activity

Lactoperoxidase, peroxide, thiocyanate antimicrobial system: correlation of sulfhydryl oxidation with antimicrobial action.

The antimicrobial activity of the lactoperoxidase, peroxide, thiocyanate system against Escherichia coli was directly related to the oxidation of bacterial sulfhydryls. Lactoperoxidase catalyzed the oxidation of thiocyanate, which resulted in the accumulation of hypothiocyanite ion, OSCN-. A portion of the bacterial sulfhydryls were oxidized by OSCN- to yield sulfenic acid and sulfenyl thiocyanate derivatives. The remaining sulfhydryls were not oxidized, although OSCN- was present in large excess. The oxidation of sulfhydryls to sulfenyl derivatives inhibited bacterial respiration. This inhibition could be reversed by adding sulfhydryl compounds to reduce the sulfenyl derivatives and the excess OSCN-. Also, this inhibition could be reversed by washing the cells so as to remove the excess unreacted OSCN-. After washing, the bacteria underwent a time-dependent recovery of their sulfhydryl content. This recovery resulted in recovery of the ability to respire. The inhibited cells were viable if diluted and plated shortly after the incubation with the lactoperoxidase, peroxide, thiocyanate system. On the other hand, long-term incubation in the presence of the excess OSCN- resulted in loss of viability. Also, the inhibition of respiration became irreversible. During this long-term incubation, the excess OSCN- was consumed and the sulfenyl derivatives disappeared.

Dithiothreitol

Prophylactic antimicrobial drug therapy at five London teaching hospitals. A report by the Study Group on the Use of Antimicrobial Drugs.

We report some findings of a survey of antimicrobial prophylaxis in 5 London teaching hospitals. It is practised predominantly in surgical patients, both before and after operations, penicillins being by far the commonest drugs. Striking differences were found, particularly in the duration of treatment in different hospitals in the same specialty, and also between consultants in the same hospital. The findings raise important questions that need to be answered by clinical trials.

Administration, Oral

Antimicrobial agents from higher plants. Additional alkaloids and antimicrobial agents from Thalictrum rugosum.

Further study of mother-liquors from ethanolic extracts of Thalictrum rugosum resulted in the identification or partial characterization of 10 alkaloids, bringing the total to 17 characterized in our work on this plant. Five of the new alkaloids were active in vitro against microorganisms. Structures, based upon spectroscopic properties and chemical transformations, are proposed for a new bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid named thalrugosaminine, and a protopine alkaloid named protothalipine. A phenanthrene base (thaliglucinone), an aporphine (thalphenine), and three protoberberine bases (columbamine, thalifendine and deoxythalidastine) were identified; three very minor bases of unknown identify were partially characterized.

Alkaloids

Herd-level heterogeneity of antimicrobial resistance in commensal Escherichia coli: A nationwide high-throughput survey of Australian pig herds.

Antimicrobial resistance in commensal Escherichia coli provides a useful indicator for overall antimicrobial resistance burden. We applied this approach to assess antimicrobial resistance within and between commercial pig herds across Australia. A high-throughput robotic workflow was used to isolate 2730 E. coli colonies from rectal contents collected in 2022 from healthy slaughter pigs (n&#x202f;=&#x202f;300) representing 30 herds (&#x223c;70% of national production). Up to 94 isolates per herd underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the Robotic Antimicrobial Susceptibility Platform. Isolate- and herd-level antimicrobial resistance indices were calculated, weighting antimicrobials by their human health importance. Resistance to first-line agents was widespread: ampicillin 77% and tetracycline 79%. By contrast, resistance to critically important antimicrobials was rare (ciprofloxacin 0.11%; extended-spectrum cephalosporins 0.04%), and no clinical resistance to carbapenems or colistin was detected. Overall, 56.9% of isolates were multi-class resistant. Herd-level antimicrobial resistance within indices ranged from 1.51 to 5.76, revealing substantial between-herd heterogeneity. Three herds carried critically important antimicrobials-resistant isolates that would likely have been missed using conventional, lower-density sampling approaches. Whole-genome sequencing identified fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates belonging to ST10 and ST69 (both qnrS1), and ST744 (Quinolone Resistance Determining Region mutations plus blaCTX-M-27). By testing approximately tenfold more isolates than conventional surveys, we uncovered considerable antimicrobial resistance with heterogeneity within and between animals and herds, including farm-specific variability. This expanded sampling also enabled detection of critically important antimicrobial resistance at very low prevalence. In conclusion, high-throughput, high-density testing offers a practical early-warning system and herd-level benchmark to inform surveillance and targeted interventions.

Animals

A Decade of Achievements and Future Directions in Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System in Korea (Kor-GLASS).

OBJECTIVES: To comprehensively evaluate the 10-year operational outcomes (2016-2025) Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System in Korea (Kor-GLASS), assess its public health significance for national stewardship and global surveillance, and propose strategies for future development. METHODS: The study described the operational framework of Kor-GLASS, including its strain collection, analysis, and quality control systems, based on surveillance data. It analyzed resistance trends among key bloodstream pathogen isolates collected from 2016 to 2024 and evaluated major achievements, including alignment with the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS), integration with the Emerging Antimicrobial Resistance Reporting (EAR) system, and activities as a WHO Collaborating Centre. RESULTS: Kor-GLASS operates on a foundation of standardized, isolate-based surveillance supported by an independent quality management system that complies with WHO GLASS standards. In alignment with the strategic direction of WHO GLASS, the surveillance scope has progressively expanded in terms of catchment areas, target pathogens, specimen types, and antimicrobial panels. From 2016 to 2024, a total of 116,955 clinical isolates were collected and analyzed through the network of collection and analysis centers. This has enabled the continuous generation of nationally representative antimicrobial resistance (AMR) data from general hospitals. The accumulated surveillance data provide fundamental evidence for tracking long-term resistance trends and elucidating the molecular epidemiological characteristics of key pathogens. These outcomes are disseminated through the publication of the "National Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Annual Report" and data submissions to WHO GLASS and GLASS-EAR, thereby supporting both national and global AMR surveillance efforts. Furthermore, Kor-GLASS has strengthened international surveillance and One Health collaboration capacities through its designation and redesignation as a WHO Collaborating Centre for AMR Surveillance. CONCLUSIONS: Over the past decade, Kor-GLASS has served as the cornerstone of national antimicrobial resistance surveillance, providing evidence to inform policy and supporting global surveillance systems. Moving forward, Kor-GLASS is expected to evolve into a pivotal national AMR surveillance system through the introduction of whole-genome sequencing and stronger integration with national antimicrobial consumption surveillance.

Anti-bacterial agents

Beyond antibiotics: artificial intelligence-enabled anti-infective ecosystems for next-generation precision therapeutics against antimicrobial resistance.

The rapid global expansion of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens to undermine decades of progress in infectious disease management and highlights the limitations of conventional antibiotic-centered therapeutic strategies. Although emerging technologies-including antimicrobial peptides, bacteriophage therapy, CRISPR-based antimicrobials, microbiome therapeutics, anti-virulence approaches, nanotechnology-enabled drug delivery, and artificial intelligence (AI)-have individually demonstrated considerable promise, they are predominantly being developed as independent interventions rather than as coordinated components of an integrated therapeutic strategy. This Perspective proposes the Intelligent Anti-Infective Ecosystem (IAIE) as a conceptual systems-level framework that computationally integrates multimodal diagnostics, pathogen genomics, microbiome profiling, AI-assisted decision support, programmable precision therapeutics, ecological monitoring, and longitudinal clinical feedback within a continuously learning dynamically optimized workflow. Unlike existing paradigms that primarily optimize individual technologies or therapeutic decisions, IAIE emphasizes closed-loop coordination among complementary antimicrobial approaches to support precision-guided infection management while preserving microbiome integrity and mitigating resistance selection pressure. We further outline the core components, operational principles, translational challenges, and technology readiness of the major therapeutic platforms that could contribute to such an ecosystem, while distinguishing clinically established interventions from emerging experimental strategies. Importantly, IAIE should be interpreted as a prospective conceptual architecture rather than an existing clinical platform. Its proposed clinical value remains to be established through sequential computational, preclinical, and prospective clinical investigations using standardized microbiological, ecological, and patient-centered outcome measures. By framing antimicrobial innovation within an responsive systems perspective, IAIE provides a roadmap for future multidisciplinary research aimed at integrating artificial intelligence and systems microbiology to enable sustainable management of antimicrobial resistance.

Humans