We tested the propensity of three quinolones to select for resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae mutants by determining the mutant prevention concentration (MPC) against 100 clinical strains, some of which harbored mutations in type II topoisomerases. Compared with levofloxacin and gemifloxacin, moxifloxacin had the lowest number of strains with MPCs above the susceptibility breakpoint (P < 0.001), thus representing a lower selective pressure for proliferation of resistant mutants. Only moxifloxacin gave a 50% MPC (MPC 50 ) value (1 g/ml) within the susceptible range.The only three quinolones currently approved to treat community-acquired respiratory tract infections in adults are levofloxacin (500 and 750 mg), moxifloxacin (400 mg), and gemifloxacin (320 mg). When free area under the curve (AUC)/MIC data are compared, moxifloxacin and gemifloxacin yield similar values and are superior to levofloxacin (15,16). These pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic considerations relate to efficacy against the susceptible portion of the bacterial population (9, 10). Another criterion, the mutant prevention concentration (MPC), may also impact clinical efficacy by relating to the resistant mutant subpopulations. The MPC, which is the MIC of the least susceptible resistant mutant subpopulation, represents a threshold above which the selective proliferation of the resistant mutant subpopulation is expected to rarely occur. Using this method, Blondeau and colleagues (4) proposed that moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin (a drug no longer available) are more active than levofloxacin in the treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia. Since the least susceptible mutant is usually a drug target mutant, MPC values can be regarded as a measure of the interaction of the quinolone with the mutant target enzyme. However, clinical isolates may contain additional efflux mechanism and/or permeability alterations that potentially may raise the MPC. Thus, measurement of MPC with clinical isolates and integrating that information with pharmacokinetics is important for comparing compounds.In the current study, the MIC and MPC values for 100 recent clinical pneumococcal isolates, each with different -lactam, quinolone, and macrolide phenotypes, were determined for levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and gemifloxacin. All quinolonenonsusceptible (intermediate as well as resistant) strains, as well as 13 randomly selected quinolone-susceptible strains were tested for the presence of mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of the gyrA, gyrB, parC, and/or parE genes.
MATERIALS AND METHODSMIC and MPC determination. The initial determinations of the MICs for all strains were made using standard agar dilution methodology (5). MICs were also tested during MPC determinations that were performed as follows. Starter cultures were generated by inoculating 12 blood Trypticase soy agar (TSA) plates (BD Diagnostics, Sparks, MD) with pure cultures of each test isolate and incubated overnight at 35°C in air. The cells were then transferred from plates and suspended...