NEW CCLASS OF ANTIBIOTICS PROVES EFFECTIVE AGAINST RESISTANT ANTHRAX STRAINS

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NEW CCLASS OF ANTIBIOTICS PROVES EFFECTIVE AGAINST RESISTANT ANTHRAX STRAINS
18 December 2001 - Emory University

Drugs within a new class of antibiotics called ketolides are effective in the laboratory against some strains of anthrax that are naturally resistant to erythromycin and other antibiotics, according to research by Emory University scientist Keith P. Klugman, M.D. Dr. Klugman presented the results of his research on Tuesday in Chicago at the 41st Interscience Congress of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Dr. Klugman tested ABT-773, a novel ketolide under development, and other antimicrobials, including clarithromycin and ciprofloxacin, and found them effective in laboratory studies against several human strains of Bacillus anthracis and a selection of animal strains of anthrax from southern Africa. The South African strains are naturally resistant to erythromycin and are prevalent among African wild animals, including elephants. Human strains from Zimbabwe were from patients who had contracted anthrax by natural means some years ago. Ketolides are not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

"There is global concern about the use of Bacillus anthracis as a biological weapon," said Dr. Klugman, who is professor of medicine in Emory University School of Medicine and a professor in Emory's Rollins School of Public Health. "The potential use of engineered strains harboring multiple resistance determinants creates an urgent need to evaluate novel classes of antimicrobial agents against this pathogen."

The research was funded by Abbott Laboratories and carried out in collaboration with the National Laboratory Service of South Africa.

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About: Emory University
Emory University is home to nine major academic divisions, numerous centres for advanced study, and a host of prestigious affiliated institutions. In addition to Emory College, the University encompasses a graduate school of arts and sciences; professional schools of medicine, theology, law, nursing, public health, and business; and Oxford College, a two-year undergraduate division on the original campus of Emory in Oxford, Ga.

Emory was founded at Oxford by the Methodist Church in 1836. Led by President James W. Wagner, an award-winning teacher and scholar, the University has 11,300 students and 2,500 faculty members who represent all regions of the United States and more than 100 foreign nations.

Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. For more than a decade Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, a comprehensive metropolitan health care system.

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