Comparative in-vitro activity of twenty antimicrobial agents against clinical isolates of Mycobacterium avium complex.

The in-vitro susceptibility of Mycobacterium avium complex isolates, obtained from immunosuppressed patients with and without the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), to various antimicrobial agents was determined. Amikacin, the 4-quinolone compounds--ciprofloxacin, temafloxacin and PD 117558--and the penem SCH 34343 were active against most of the isolates. In-vitro synergism using selected antimicrobial combinations could not be demonstrated. No differences in the susceptibility, depending upon the source of the isolates (AIDS or non-AIDS), were noted.