Effect of different nitroheterocyclic compounds on aerobic, microaerophilic, and anaerobic bacteria.

The antibacterial activities of different nitroheterocyclic compounds were assessed by an agar dilution method against aerobic, microaerophilic, and anaerobic bacteria. Nitronaphthofurans inhibited the multiplication of aerobic bacteria at low concentrations (MIC for 50% of strains tested [MIC50], 1 mg/liter). Under anaerobic growth conditions the MICs were found to be even lower. The rough, DNA repair-deficient mutants of Salmonella typhimurium were more susceptible, whereas nitroreductase-deficient strains were resistant. Microaerophilic campylobacter isolates could be divided into two groups, one of which was as susceptible as aerobic bacteria (MIC50, 1 mg/liter) and the other of which was more highly susceptible (MIC50, 0.015 mg/liter). All anaerobic bacteria tested were susceptible to nitronaphthofurans (MIC50, 0.125 mg/liter). Nitrothiazole exerted antibacterial activities similar to those of the nitronaphthofurans. Metronidazole, a nitroimidazole derivative, and nitrofurans were definitely less active. Nitrobenzofurans showed relatively high MICs.