SUSCEPTIBILITY OF PSEUDOMONAS SPECIES TO THE NOVEL ANTIBIOTICS MUREIDOMYCINS

Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, including imipenem- or ofloxacin-resistant clinical isolates, and some other species in the genus Pseudomonas were inhibited by novel antibiotics of the mureidomycin (MRD) group. On the other hand, almost all other gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were resistant to MRDs, though the antibiotics potently inhibited the in vitro peptidoglycan synthesis of Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa. All of the strains in the genus Pseudomonas that were inhibited by less-than-or-equal-to 200-mu-g of MRDs per ml were classified into the rRNA groups I and III, and none of the tested strains of rRNA group I were resistant to MRDs, suggesting that these two groups are closely related to each other evolutionarily. Among group I strains, P. aeruginosa, P. mendocina, P. stutzeri, and P. alcaligenes were more susceptible than the others, suggesting a closer relationship among these species.