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Effect of efflux pump inhibitors on the susceptibility of Mycobacterium avium complex to clarithromycin

The Journal of Antibiotics volume 73, pages 128–132 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

In this study we aimed to evaluate the effect of the combination of clarithromycin and four inhibitors of efflux pumps (EPIs), including berberine (BER), carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), piperine (PIP) and tetrandrine (TET), against 12 Mycobacterium avium complex clinical isolates. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of clarithromycin showed at least a fourfold reduction in presence of BER (83% of total isolates), CCCP (67%), PIP (25%) and TET (75%). Our results showed that the EPIs tested are active against both clarithromycin susceptible and resistant isolates. In particular, among the six resistant isolates, TET reversed the resistance phenotype of three strains, BER of two strains, and CCCP and PIP of one strain. Overall, our findings show the importance of these compounds in increasing the efficacy of clarithromycin in MAC clinical isolates.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the University of Pisa, grant “Fondi di Ateneo, 2018”.

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  1. Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Pisa, I-56127, Pisa, Italy

    Melissa Menichini, Nicoletta Lari & Laura Rindi

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  1. Melissa Menichini
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  2. Nicoletta Lari
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Correspondence to Laura Rindi.

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Menichini, M., Lari, N. & Rindi, L. Effect of efflux pump inhibitors on the susceptibility of Mycobacterium avium complex to clarithromycin. J Antibiot 73, 128–132 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41429-019-0245-1

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