The in vitro evaluation of solithromycin (CEM-101) against pathogens isolated in the United States and Europe (2009)

Objectives: Solithromycin (formerly CEM-101) is a novel fluoroketolide with potent activity against bacterial pathogens that are susceptible or resistant to other MLSB-ketolide agents. The objective of this study was to assess the activity of solithromycin and comparator antimicrobials against a large number and variety of contemporary clinical bacterial pathogens collected in the United States (USA) and Europe during 2009. Method: During 2009, a total of 10,670 non-duplicated clinical isolates were collected from 52 medical centers located in the USA (27 centers; 6228 isolates) and Europe (25 centers; 4442 isolates). Susceptibility testing and interpretation were performed using CLSI reference methods. Results: Among 1363 Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates, 99.9% of the strains displayed solithromycin MIC values at <= 0.5 mg/L, and 100% were inhibited at an MIC of 1 mg/L. Solithromycin demonstrated activity and potency against Haemophilus influenzae comparable to azithromycin (MIC50, 1 mg/L and MIC90, 2 mg/L) and was very potent against all 313 Moraxella catarrhalis isolated (MIC50, 0.06 mg/L and MIC90, 0.12 mg/L). Against 4729 Staphylococcus aureus isolates, solithromycin (MIC50, 0.06 mg/L and MIC90,> 4 mg/L) activity was greater against methicillin-susceptible isolates (MIC50, 0.06 mg/L and MIC90, 0.06 mg/L) compared to methicillin-resistant isolates (MIC50, 0.06 mg/L and MIC90, >4 mg/L). Solithromycin was very active against all 757 beta-haemolytic streptococci (MIC50, <= 0.03 mg/L and MIC90, 0.06 mg/L) and 310 viridans group streptococci (MIC50, <= 0.03 mg/L and MIC90, 0.06 mg/L) evaluated. Conclusion: This contemporary surveillance study utilizing clinical isolates shows that solithromycin exhibits favorable in vitro potency and spectrum of activity against bacterial pathogens most frequently isolated in community-acquired respiratory tract (CA-RTI) and skin and skin structure infections (SSSI). (C) 2010 The British Infection Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.