Antistaphylococcal activity of amoxicillin and ticarcillin when combined with clavulanic acid. Evaluation of oxacillin-resistant and oxacillin-susceptible isolates

Abstract

The beta-lactamase inhibitor, clavulanic acid, was combined with amoxicillin and with ticarcillin for in vitro studies with 586 staphylococci: 97 stock cultures of oxacillin-resistant strains recovered before 1982, and 489 blood or wound isolates collected from 40 separate medical centers during 1987-1988 (300 were oxacillin resistant). Over 92% of the staphylococci produced beta-lactamase enzymes and were thus resistant to both penicillins. However, with the addition of clavulanic acid, oxacillin-susceptible strains were rendered susceptible to low concentrations of amoxicillin and ticarcillin. Staphylococcus aureus strains with borderline or partial borderline resistance to penicillinase-resistant penicillins occurred infrequently (72 of 325 S. aureus isolates). Those strains were susceptible to both clavulanic acid combinations, because their methicillin resistance is thought to be due to an excess beta-lactamase production. Strains with chromosomally mediated intrinsic heteroresistance were relatively resistant to both drug combinations. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) breakpoints that best separated those heteroresistant strains from oxacillin-susceptible isolates were as follows: amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, less than or equal to 2.0/1.0 micrograms/ml for susceptible; and ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, less than or equal to 4.0/2.0 micrograms/ml for susceptible. When the broth was supplemented by 2% NaCl, MICs for both drug combinations were increased by less than one doubling dilution. Although oxacillin and methicillin broth microdilution tests were more reliable when 2% NaCl was added, tests with the two drug combinations were only minimally improved by adding 2% NaCl to the broth medium.