In Vitro Activities of Novel 2-Fluoro-Naphthyridine-Containing Ketolides

In vitro activities of erythromycin A, telithromycin, and two investigational ketolides, JNJ-17155437 and JNJ-17155528, were evaluated against clinical bacterial strains, including selected common respiratory tract pathogens. Against 46 macrolide-susceptible and -resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae strains, the MIC(90) (MIC at which 90% of the isolates tested were inhibited) of the investigational ketolides was 0.25 μg/ml, twofold lower than that of telithromycin and at least 64-fold lower than that of erythromycin A. Against erm(B)-containing pneumococci, the MIC(90) of all the ketolides was 0.06 μg/ml. The MIC(90) of the investigational ketolides against mef(A)-containing pneumococci or pneumococci with both mef(A) and erm(B) was 0.25 μg/ml, two-and fourfold lower, respectively, than that of telithromycin. In contrast, the MICs of the investigational ketolides against macrolide-resistant S. pneumoniae strains with ribosomal mutations were similar to or, in some cases, as much as eightfold higher than those of telithromycin. Against Haemophilus influenzae, MICs of all the ketolides were ≤2 μg/ml. Against three Moraxella catarrhalis isolates, the MIC of the ketolides was 0.25 μg/ml. The ketolides inhibited in vitro protein synthesis, with 50% inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.23 to 0.27 μM. In time-kill studies against macrolide-susceptible and erm- or mef-containing pneumococci, the ketolides were bacteriostatic to slowly bactericidal, with 24-h log(10) decreases ranging from 2.0 to 4.1 CFU. Intervals of postantibiotic effects for the ketolides against macrolide-susceptible and -resistant S. pneumoniae were 3.0 to 8.1 h

Utility of Muropeptide Ligase for Identification of Inhibitors of the Cell Wall Biosynthesis Enzyme MurF

MurF is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall in both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. This enzyme has not been extensively exploited as a drug target, possibly due to the difficulty in obtaining one of the substrates, UDP-MurNAc-l-Ala-γ-d-Glu-meso-diaminopimelate, which is usually purified from bacteria. We have identified putative inhibitors of Escherichia coli MurF by a binding assay, thus bypassing the need for substrate. Inhibition of enzymatic activity was demonstrated in a high-performance liquid chromatography-based secondary assay with UDP-MurNAc-l-Ala-γ-d-Glu-diaminopimelate substrate prepared in a novel way by using muropeptide ligase enzyme to add UDP-MurNAc to synthetic l-Ala-γ-d-Glu-diaminopimelate; the substrate specificity of muropeptide ligase for peptides containing l-Lys in place of diaminopimelate was also investigated. Using the muropeptide ligase-generated MurF substrate, a thiazolylaminopyrimidine series of MurF enzyme inhibitors with 50% inhibitory concentration values as low as 2.5 μM was identified

In Vivo Activity of the Pyrrolopyrazolyl-Substituted Oxazolidinone RWJ-416457▿

RWJ-416457 is an investigational pyrrolopyrazolyl-substituted oxazolidinone with activity against antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant gram-positive pathogens. Efficacies of RWJ-416457, linezolid, and vancomycin against methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) in murine skin and systemic infections were compared, as were efficacies against Streptococcus pneumoniae in a lower respiratory infection. In staphylococcal systemic infections, RWJ-416457 was equipotent with to twofold more potent than linezolid, with 50% effective dose values ranging from 1.5 to 5 mg/kg of body weight/day. RWJ-416457 was two- to fourfold less potent than vancomycin against MSSA but up to fourfold more potent than vancomycin against CA-MRSA. In MSSA and CA-MRSA skin infections, RWJ-416457 demonstrated an efficacy similar to that of linezolid, reducing CFU/g skin approximately 1.0 log10 at all doses tested; vancomycin yielded greater reductions than the oxazolidinones, with decreases in CFU/g skin of 3 log10 (MSSA) and 2 log10 (CA-MRSA). In the pneumococcal model, RWJ-416457 was two- to fourfold more potent than linezolid. The free-drug area under the concentration-time curves at 24 h (fAUC24) were similar for RWJ-416457 and linezolid. The half-life of RWJ-416457 was up to threefold longer than that of linezolid for all routes of administration. The fAUC24/MIC ratio, the pharmacodynamic parameter considered predictive of oxazolidinone efficacy, was approximately twofold greater for RWJ-416457 than for linezolid. Since the fAUC values were similar for both compounds, the higher fAUC/MIC ratios of RWJ-416457 appear to result from its greater in vitro potency. These results demonstrate that RWJ-416457 is a promising new oxazolidinone with efficacy in S. aureus or S. pneumoniae mouse infection models

Identification of a Dithiazoline Inhibitor of Escherichia coli l,d-Carboxypeptidase A

The enzyme l,d-carboxypeptidase A is involved in the recycling of bacterial peptidoglycan and is essential in Escherichia coli during stationary phase. By high-throughput screening, we have identified a dithiazoline inhibitor of the enzyme with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 3 μM. The inhibitor appeared to cause lysis of E. coli during stationary phase, behavior that is similar to a previously described deletion mutant of l,d-carboxypeptidase A (M. F. Templin, A. Ursinus, and J.-V. Holtje, EMBO J. 18:4108-4117, 1999). As much as a one-log drop in CFU in stationary phase was observed upon treatment of E. coli with the inhibitor, and the amount of intracellular tetrapeptide substrate increased by approximately 33%, consistent with inhibition of the enzyme within bacterial cells. Stationary-phase targets such as l,d-carboxypeptidase A are largely underrepresented as targets of the antibiotic armamentarium but provide potential opportunities to interfere with bacterial growth and persistence

In Vivo Activity of Ceftobiprole in Murine Skin Infections Due to Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa▿

Ceftobiprole, a broad-spectrum cephalosporin with activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (P. Hebeisen et al., Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45:825-836, 2001), was evaluated in a subcutaneous skin infection model with Staphylococcus aureus Smith OC 4172 (methicillin-susceptible S. aureus [MSSA]), S. aureus OC 8525 (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa OC 4351 (having an inducible AmpC β-lactamase), and P. aeruginosa OC 4354 (overproducing AmpC β-lactamase). In the MSSA and MRSA infection models, ceftobiprole, administered as the prodrug ceftobiprole medocaril, was more effective in reducing CFU/g skin (P < 0.001) than were cefazolin, vancomycin, or linezolid based on the dose-response profiles. Skin lesion volumes in MSSA-infected animals treated with ceftobiprole were 19 to 29% lower than those for cefazolin-, vancomycin-, or linezolid-treated animals (P < 0.001). In MRSA infections, lesion size in ceftobiprole-treated mice was 34% less than that with cefazolin or linezolid treatment (P < 0.001). Against P. aeruginosa, ceftobiprole at similar doses was as effective as meropenem-cilastatin in reductions of CFU/g skin, despite 8- and 32-fold-lower MICs for meropenem; both treatments were more effective than was cefepime (P < 0.001) against the inducible and overproducing AmpC β-lactamase strains of P. aeruginosa. Ceftobiprole was similar to meropenem-cilastatin and 47 to 54% more effective than cefepime (P < 0.01) in reducing the size of the lesion caused by either strain of P. aeruginosa in this study. These studies indicate that ceftobiprole is effective in reducing both bacterial load and lesion volume associated with infections due to MSSA, MRSA, and P. aeruginosa in this murine model of skin and soft tissue infection

In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of the Pyrrolopyrazolyl-Substituted Oxazolidinone RWJ-416457

RWJ-416457, an investigational pyrrolopyrazolyl-substituted oxazolidinone, inhibited the growth of linezolid-susceptible staphylococci, enterococci, and streptococci at concentrations of ≤4 μg/ml, generally exhibiting two- to fourfold-greater potency than that of linezolid. Time-kill studies demonstrated bacteriostatic effects for both RWJ-416457 and linezolid

Safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the ExPEC4V (JNJ-63871860) vaccine for prevention of invasive extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli disease: A phase 1, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy Japanese participants

This Phase 1, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of different doses of ExPEC4V conjugate vaccine (4-16µg Polysaccharide [PS]/serotype) in healthy Japanese participants, stratified into younger (≥20 to <50 years) or older age groups (≥50 years). Within each age group, participants were randomized to a single vaccination with 1 of 3 dose levels of ExPEC4V (4, 8 and 16 µg PS/serotype) or placebo. Safety and tolerability were the primary objectives; immunogenicity was secondary. Of the 48 participants, 47 (98%) completed; one (2%) in the placebo group discontinued. A total of 48% participants had ≥1 AE (younger group: n = 13 [54%]; older group: n = 10 [41.7%]). Solicited and unsolicited AEs were reported in 44% and 8% participants, respectively in the combined ExPEC4V groups. Pain/tenderness (n = 11 [31%]) and redness (n = 9 [25%]) were the most frequently reported solicited local AEs, whereas fatigue (n = 4 [11%]), headache (n = 4 [11%]), muscle pain (n = 2 [6%]), and malaise (n = 5 [14%]) were the most common solicited systemic AEs in the combined ExPEC4V group. No serious AEs, deaths, or discontinuation due to AEs were reported. All doses were immunogenic with an increase in IgG (ELISA) geometric mean titers of at least 5-fold from baseline to Days 15 and 30 for all serotypes. Of participants vaccinated with ExPEC4V, 75% - 100% demonstrated an ELISA titer increase of ≥2-fold. Strong correlation observed between ELISA and OPK. ExPEC4V was well tolerated and elicited an immunogenic response at all dose levels (up to 16 µg PS/serotype) in healthy Japanese participants