In Vitro Antimicrobial Activities of Arbekacin against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Background Arbekacin is an aminoglycoside developed in Japan and has been used since 1991 for the treatment of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA). The objective of this study is to determine the in vitro antimicrobial activity of arbekacin against clinical isolates of MRSA obtained from the Ajou University Hospital from March to July, 2001.

Method : The minimal inhibitory concentrations(MICs) of the 100 MRSA isolates were determined by the agar dilution method and the antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by the disk diffusion method. The bactericidal and the post-antibiotic effects were tested.

Results : Two isolates revealed M1Cs of 8 ug/mL, and the others < 4 ug/mL. All isolates were considered susceptible to arbekacin. Arbekacin showed concentration-dependent bactericidal activity against MRSA, and the post-antibiotic effect lasted 1.6-3.1 hours. Conclusion : These results suggest that arbekacin could provide an alternative for the treatment of MRSA