In-vitro characteristics of glycopeptide resistant strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis isolated from patients on CAPD.

The low-level resistance of three clinical isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis to glycopeptide antibiotics was found to be constitutive, not inducible, and was not increased by passage in the presence of either vancomycin or teicoplanin. There was no loss of resistance on repeated passage in antibiotic-free broth. In contrast, the susceptibility to these antibiotics declined for S. epidermidis NCTC 6513 that been sequentially passaged in either vancomycin or teicoplanin whereas the variants reverted to being susceptible on further passage in antibiotic-free broth. Antibiotic activity was almost completely abolished when cultures of the resistant S. epidermidis strains were exposed overnight to sub-MIC concentrations. No evidence of drug-modifying activity was obtained. Experiments of antibiotic-binding activity indicated that the resistant strains exhibited an increased ability to sequester antibiotics which was particularly rapid in stationary phase cultures when most of the antibiotic activity disappeared from the growth medium within 30 min of exposure to the drugs. Teicoplanin was sequestered more efficiently than vancomycin and some loss of activity was also observed when stationary phase cultures of S. epidermidis NCTC 6513 were exposed to glycopeptides. These results suggest that glycopeptide-resistant isolates of S. epidermidis are able to bind large amounts of these antibiotics, possibly at sites unassociated with the D-alanyl-D-alanine target, and that teicoplanin is bound more avidly than vancomycin.