Clinical applications of amphibian antimicrobial peptides

Frog skin constitutes a rich source of peptides with broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi and several hundred such peptides from diverse species have been described. However, their therapeutic potential remains to be realized and no anti-infective peptide based upon their structures has yet been adopted in clinical practice. This review assesses potential clinical applications of nine antimicrobial peptides isolated from frog skin [alyteserin- 1c, ascaphin-8, brevinin-1BYa, brevinin-2PRa, brevinin-2- related peptide, brevinin-2-related peptide-ERa, kassinatuerin- 1, pseudin-2, and temporin-DRa]. The multidrug-resistant microorganisms targeted include the Gram-negative bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, and the opportunistic yeast pathogens Candida spp. Although the naturally occurring peptides show varying degrees of cytotoxicity towards mammalian cells such as erythrocytes, analogs have been developed that retain high antimicrobial potency but are non-hemolytic. Treatment and prevention of acne and periodontal disease are identified as areas in which frog skin antimicrobial peptides might find future applications

Comparative in vitro activity of tigecycline and other antimicrobial agents against Shigella species from Kuwait and the United Arab of Emirates

Shigella species isolated from stool samples of symptomatic patients of all age groups at the Mubarak Al Kabir Hospital and Infectious Diseases Hospital, Kuwait and Tawam Hospital, UAE during a 2-year period were investigated for their susceptibility to tigecycline and several other antibiotics by determining the minimum inhibitory concentrations [MICs] using the E test method. A total of 100 and 42 strains were collected from UAE and Kuwait, respectively. The extent of drug resistance in the Shigella spp. isolates from these two countries was analyzed by criteria recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute [CLSI]. Amikacin, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin, imipenem, meropenem, piperacillin-tazobactam and tigecycline had excellent activities against all isolates from UAE and Kuwait with MIC[90s] of 12, 0.094, 4, 0.012, 0.25, 0.032, 3 and 0.25micro g/ml and 4, 1, 4, 0.125, 0.38, 0.19, 3 and 0.25 micro g/ml, respectively. Half of all isolates from both countries were resistant to ampicillin. None of the isolates in Kuwait was resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid compared with 22% in UAE. Resistance to chloramphenicol was recorded in 50 and 36% of the isolates in Kuwait and UAE, respectively. The percentages of non-susceptibility to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline were very high in Kuwait and UAE [76% vs. 92% and 76% vs. 98%, respectively]. Notably, one isolate, S. flexneri, from UAE had reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin [MIC, 0.25 micro g/ml]. Four [2.8%] of the isolates were ESBL producers by the E test ESBL method but could not be confirmed by PCR using primers for bla[tem], BLA [SHV] and- bla[tem]. In conclusion, Shigella spp. isolated from symptomatic patients in Kuwait and the UAE demonstrated high