Affiliation:
1. Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research, Rahway, New Jersey 07065
Abstract
Cefoxitin is a new, cephalosporin-like antibiotic which is highly resistant to hydrolysis by β-lactamase. Ninety-one cultures were selected either for their general resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics or for their ability to produce β-lactamase. Some of these cultures were resistant to cefoxitin. The capacity of each of the 91 strains to hydrolyze cefoxitin with β-lactamase was determined. Only seven of the cultures degraded the antibiotic as determined by a general assay for β-lactamase. Several others were able to hydrolyze cefoxitin after enzyme was induced by low concentrations of the antibiotic. The role of the constitutive and inducible enzyme in bacterial resistance to the antibiotic was investigated. Enzymatic destruction of cefoxitin was found to be an important factor contributing to bacterial resistance. However, the complete and rapid degradation of cefoxitin is not essential to resistance since one strain,
Enterobacter cloacae
1316, hydrolyzed the antibiotic very slowly but was able to grow unaffected in the presence of cefoxitin. The presence of the enzyme is not necessarily sufficient to confer resistance since another culture,
Klebsiella
D535, readily hydrolyzed the antibiotic but was susceptible to it.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Infectious Diseases,Pharmacology (medical),Pharmacology
Cited by
166 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献