Effects of sub-MICs of erythromycin and other macrolide antibiotics on serum sensitivity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

We examined the effects of sub-MICs of erythromycin (EM) and other macrolide antibiotics on the serum sensitivity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa S-6 grown for 36 and 48 h on agar with 10 micrograms of EM per ml (1/10th the MIC) showed significantly increased sensitivity to human serum bactericidal activity compared with those of bacteria grown on agar without EM (P < 0.05). No changes in serum sensitivity were observed in bacteria grown for less than 24 h. This increased sensitivity was apparent even at a concentration of 1.5 micrograms of EM per ml (1/67th the MIC) in bacteria grown for 48 h (P < 0.01). Among the other macrolide antibiotics tested, clarithromycin also enhanced sensitivity to serum, but there were no changes in the sensitivities of bacteria grown on agar with kitasamycin, josamycin, rokitamycin, or oleandomycin even at a concentration of 12 micrograms/ml (1/16th, 1/16th, 1/8th, and 1/33rd the MICs, respectively). P. aeruginosa S-6 grown on agar with subinhibitory concentrations of EM showed decreased cell surface hydrophobicity in a dose-dependent manner, whereas oleandomycin and rokitamycin, even at a concentration of 12 micrograms/ml, induced a slight decrease in hydrophobicity which was approximately equivalent to that of 1.5 micrograms of EM per ml. Among six other strains of the nonmucoid phenotype, three strains became more sensitive to serum by exposure to 10 micrograms of EM per ml for 48 h. In contrast, no evident correlation between EM treatment and a change in serum sensitivity was observed in six strains of the mucoid phenotype, as judged by the results of experiments with both 2 and 0.4% serum. These results show that EM at subinhibitory concentrations enhances the serum sensitivity of some P. aeruginosa strains. Since induced serum sensitivity was accompanied by a decrease in bacterial cell surface hydrophobicity, EM may render P. aeruginosa more serum sensitive by changing the cell surface structure(s) of this organism.