Journal of Antimicrobial Agents

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if the plant phenolic curcumin (CUR) and the arylpiperazine 1-(1-naphthylmethyl)-piperazine (NMP) could restore antibiotic efficacy versus MDR P. aeruginosa infection.
Methods: The MICs of piperacillin, meropenem and levofloxacin in the presence or absence of CUR or NMP against a MDR strain that over-expresses the MexAB-OprM efflux-pump and the isogenic parent strain were compared. The efficacy of the same combination treatments was also tested in a Galleria mellonella in vivo infection model and larval survival and bacterial burden compared.
Results: In vitro, CUR restored the activity of piperacillin, meropenem and levofloxacin versus the MDR strain of P. aeruginosa only weakly. There was no evidence in vitro of a similar effect with NMP. In vivo, treatment of G. mellonella larvae infected with the MDR strain with a combination of NMP or CUR plus levofloxacin, and piperacillin plus CUR, resulted in enhanced therapeutic benefit compared to the monotherapies. When compared with monotherapies, the enhanced efficacy of the combination treatments correlated with reduced bacterial burden.Conclusion: CUR and NMP restored the efficacy of antibiotic therapy in vivo versus MDR P. aeruginosa infection.

Odontogenic infection is an infection that originates within a tooth or in the closely surrounding tissues and can extend beyond natural barriers and result in potentially life-threatening complications. Spreading dental infections are routinely managed by endodontic or surgical intervention Antibiotic therapy is aimed as supportive measure for controlling the spread of infection and should be used judiciously. Proper understanding of disease process, oral and periapical microorganisms and pharmacokinetics is essential to prevent the overuse of antibiotics in dentistry.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with a broad spectrum of clinical and biological extrahepatic manifestations. Oral lichen planus (OLP) is common among HCV-infected patients in Japan. Some studies reported a possible link between oral squamous cell carcinoma and HCV. The improvement of the extrahepatic manifestations by elimination of HCV is expected because interferon-free direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) therapy is introduced for hepatitis C mainly in Japan.

Many of the antibiotics employed in animal production also serve as essential medicines for use in humans. However, only a handful of studies address antibiotic use in animal husbandry in Ghana. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of essential antibiotics in poultry production in Ghana and to assess factors influencing farmers’ choice of antibiotics for use on their farms. A cross-sectional survey using questionnaires and semistructured interviews was conducted among 400 poultry farms in the Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo and Greater Accra regions of Ghana. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS and Microsoft Excel. Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate correlations between farm variables and the dependency of antibiotic use on internal and external farm characteristics. Farmers reported the use of 35 different antimicrobial agents for management of conditions such as Newcastle, fowl pox, coccidiosis, and coryza. From these agents, 20 essential antibiotics belonging to 10 antibiotic classes were extracted. Frequently employed antibiotics were tetracyclines (24.17%), aminoglycosides (17.87%), penicillins (16.51%) and fluoroquinolones (10.55%). Only 63% of the farms completed recommended antibiotic course durations, 58% reported following recommended withdrawal periods and 88% sought veterinary advice before administration of antibiotics. Farmers had easy access to antibiotics and antibiotic-related information from veterinary offices, vet-chemical shops and mobile salesmen. Correlation analysis showed farm activities such as frequency of change of bedding material, disinfectant use and seeking expert advice correlated significantly with size and age. The use of antibiotic-containing agents was observed to be dependent on internal factors such as size, presence of other livestock on the farm and infections. External factors such as easy access to antibiotics also influenced farmers’ use of antibiotics. These findings call for stricter regulations on access to and use of antibiotics on poultry farms in Ghana.

The objective of this study was to determine the combined effect of locust bean, xanthan, agar, carrageenanmaltodextrin and pectin gums on the growth, bacterial survival, and susceptibility of foodborne pathogens. The combine effect five different gums and antimicrobial agents (Tetracycline, Doripenem, Imipenem, Cefixime, Cipropoxacin, Ceftazidime, Kanamycin and Meropenem) on susceptibility of foodborne pathogens was tested using disc diffusion method. Amongst gums tested, treatment with carrageenan-maltodextrin (52.00 ± 2.00 mm) and pectin (51.00 ± 1.00 mm) resulted in a two-fold increased in susceptibility of Salmonella enterica to imipenem 10 μg, compared to the control (25.33 ± 1.00 mm). Treatment with locust bean and agar gums also led to a two-fold increase in susceptibility of Salmonella enterica to cefixime and xanthan also increased susceptibility Escherichia coli O157:H7 to doripenem. Addition of gums led to a slight increase or decrease on bacterial growth in treatment compared to control. Bacterial survival decreased in the presence of all gums during refrigerated storage with pectin producing a log 2.68 ± 0.10 CFUml-1 reduction. Tested gums could potentially be used in combination with antimicrobial medicines to improve their efficacy in the treatment of Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections. Our findings could potentially lead to synergistic use of gums and antimicrobial agents to enhance the treatment and reduce recovery period of foodborne infections leading to less dependence on antimicrobial medicines and subsequently promoting health.