Determination of CEM-101 Activity Tested against Clinical Isolates of Neisseria meningitidis from a Worldwide Collection

Abstract

ABSTRACT The activity of CEM-101, a fluoroketolide, was compared to those of 11 other antimicrobial agents using the reference broth microdilution method tested against 103 Neisseria meningitidis strains, including ciprofloxacin-nonsusceptible isolates with confirmed gyr A (T91I) mutations. Among the tested isolates, 79.6% were serogroup B or C and all isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone, azithromycin, minocycline, and rifampin. However, penicillin-nonsusceptible strains were observed (15.5%) and susceptibility to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was only 50.5%. CEM-101 was the most active macrolide-like compound (MIC 90 , ≤0.015 μg/ml) compared with MIC 90 s of telithromycin (MIC 90 , 0.03 μg/ml), azithromycin and clarithromycin (MIC 90 , 0.12 μg/ml), and erythromycin (MIC 90 , 0.25 μg/ml). CEM-101 could provide a potent alternative for the prophylaxis of meningococcal disease.