Synergistic post-antibiotic effect of amikacin and beta-lactam antibiotics on Enterococcus faecalis.

The in-vitro post-antibiotic effect (PAE) of amikacin alone and in combination with ceftazidime, ceftriaxone and piperacillin was studied for two strains of Enterococcus faecalis using a bioluminescent assay of bacterial ATP. The two strains of E. faecalis were resistant to amikacin, ceftazidime and ceftriaxone but sensitive to piperacillin. The bacterial cultures were incubated with the beta-lactam antibiotics for 1 h and concentrations of amikacin between 2-64 mg/l were then added. Thereafter, incubation continued with the combinations for one more hour. After dilution, regrowth was monitored by measuring bacterial ATP every hour. Increasing concentrations of amikacin (2-64 mg/l), ceftazidime (8-32 mg/l) and ceftriaxone (32-128 mg/l) resulted in little or no PAE (0-0.3 h) on these strains. PAEs of 0.5 to 1.6 h resulted from exposure to piperacillin (4-32 mg/l). In combination amikacin and piperacillin increased the PAE to 5.5 h. A synergistic PAE was also seen when the enterococci were exposed to amikacin combined with ceftazidime or ceftriaxone in concentrations close to the MICs of the latter antibiotics.