Comparative susceptibilities of various AIDS-associated and human urogenital tract mycoplasmas and strains of Mycoplasma pneumoniae to 10 classes of antimicrobial agent in vitro.

The susceptibilities of 40 strains of various Mycoplasma species to 10 classes of antimicrobial agents were compared in vitro by a broth microdilution method. The strains tested comprised 20 strains of four AIDS-associated species--M. penetrans (1 strain), M. fermentas (5 strains), M. pirum (6 strains) and M. genitalium (8 strains)--nine strains of the urogenital tract species M. hominis and 11 strains of M. pneumoniae. The results demonstrated wide variation in the susceptibilities of the different Mycoplasma spp. to different classes of antimicrobial agent. All the mycoplasmas were susceptible or highly susceptible to the fluoroquinolones, with sparfloxacin the most active, and to the diterpine antibiotic tiamulin. M. pneumoniae and M. genitalium strains were also highly susceptible to the macrolides, particularly azithromycin and had similar antibiotic susceptibility patterns to most other antimicrobial agents. However, all strains of M. genitalium were resistant to streptomycin (MIC 250->500 mg/L) whereas all M. pneumoniae isolates, except the MAC strain, were susceptible (MICs 1.25-12.5 mg/L). M. pirum isolates varied considerably in their susceptibility to macrolides (MIC range versus azithromycin 0.0025->100 mg/L). M. fermentans strains were susceptible to the tetracyclines, lincosamides and mupirocin, but varied in susceptibility to aminoglycosides. Most M. hominis strains were susceptible to the tetracyclines and all were susceptible to clindamycin and mupirocin. M. penetrans GTU 54 was susceptible to azithromycin, the tetracyclines and lincosamides as well as to the fluoroquinolones and tiamulin.