Influence of enoxacin sub-MICs on the adherence of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli to human buccal and urinary epithelial cells.

Bacterial adhesion is the first step in the sequence of events leading to infection. It has been observed that subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics can interfere with the mechanism of bacterial adhesion. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the capacity of sub-MICs of enoxacin, a new 4-quinolone with 6-fluoro and 7-piperazino substituents, to interfere with the adhesiveness of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli to human buccal cells and of E. coli to urinary epithelial cells. A significant decrease was observed with 1/2-1/64 the MIC for the adhesion of S. aureus to buccal cells. Inhibition of adhesion was also observed for E. coli strains, but in this case a marked decrease was observed across the range from 1/2 to 1/128 the MIC for urinary cells, and from 1/2 to 1/256 the MIC for buccal cells. Enoxacin also caused elongation of E. coli.