How effective is disulfiram against Gram-positive bacteria, and particularly against resistant strains?
Label:chem
Topic
Disulfiram has been investigated for its antibiotic activity.
Answer
Disulfiram inhibits the growth of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MIC 8–16 µg/mL), Staphylococcus epidermidis (MIC 1–32 µg/mL), group A Streptococcus (MIC 16 µg/mL), Enterococcus faecium (MIC 16 µg/mL), and Bacillus cereus (MIC 4 µg/mL), though it is consistently less efficacious than vancomycin against these bacteria (MIC ≤ 0.5–2 µg/mL). However, for some resistant Gram-positive organisms, including vancomycin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), disulfiram showed superior inhibition of bacterial growth in vitro compared to vancomycin. Combination therapy with vancomycin and disulfiram also exhibited synergy against vancomycin-resistant species, lowering vancomycin's MIC significantly.
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