Bactericidal activity of netilmicin compared with gentamicin and streptomycin, alone and in combination with penicillin, against penicillin tolerant viridans streptococci and enterococci

Netilmicin was compared with gentamicin and streptomycin for in-vitro activity against 30 strains of penicillin-tolerant streptococci including 16 strains of enterococci. Both netilmicin and gentamicin tested alone at 4 mg/l caused 99.9% kill of more than half of the 13 strains of viridans streptococci tested, whereas streptomycin, 4 mg/l, had no bactericidal effect against these strains. Netilmicin, gentamicin and streptomycin tested alone at 8.0 mg/l against 10 strains of Streptococcus faecalis resulted in 99.9% kill of six, one and zero strains respectively. Combinations of penicillin with 2 mg/l of either netilmicin or gentamicin resulted in bactericidal synergy against 12 of 13 strains of viridans streptococci and all 10 strains of S. faecalis after 18 to 24 h incubation. Parallel experiments showed that higher concentration of penicillin were required to obtain 99.9% kill of 10 streptococcal strains when 4 mg/l streptomycin was compared with 2 mg/l of the other aminoglycosides. Killing curves showed similar bactericidal synergy for netilmicin-penicillin and gentamicin-penicillin combinations against most streptococci tested after 24 h incubation but there was sometimes a greater bactericidal effect noted with netilmicin after only 6 h incubation of the broth or after 48 h incubation. The results of this in-vitro study suggest that netilmicin is at least as effective as gentamicin as a bactericidal synergic agent with penicillin against penicillin-tolerant viridans streptococci and S. faecalis strains isolated from patients with endocarditis. Neither gentamicin or netilmicin were effective as bactericidal synergic agents with penicillin against 4 of 6 strains of S. faecium tested.