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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, August 2004, p. 2918-2923, Vol. 48, No. 8
0066-4804/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.48.8.2918-2923.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Therapeutic Efficacy of "Nubiotics" against Burn Wound Infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Oligos Etc., Inc., Wilsonville, Oregon,¹ Chemical and Biological Defence Section, Defence R&D Canada—Suffield, Ralston, Alberta, Canada²

Received 17 July 2003/ Returned for modification 3 September 2003/ Accepted 19 April 2004

"Nubiotics" are a novel class of proprietary protonated nucleic acid-based drugs shown to have potent in vitro antibacterial activities against a number of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. These nubiotics are evaluated here for their in vivo therapeutic efficacy for the treatment of burn wound infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To achieve this, a burn wound infection model was established in mice by using a highly pathogenic burn wound clinical isolate of P. aeruginosa. Lethal doses of the bacteria were determined for two routes of infection (subcutaneous and topical), representing systemic and local forms of infection, respectively. Using this infection model, treatment with nubiotics by various routes of drug administration was evaluated and optimized. A total of 12 nubiotics and their analogues were tested and of these, Nu-2, -3, -4, and -5 were found to be extremely efficacious in the postexposure treatment of burn wound infection (60 to 100% survival rates versus 0% for untreated control [P < 0.05]). These nubiotics were effective when given either systemically by intravenous and/or subcutaneous administration or given locally to the affected site in the skin by topical application. Treatment by these two routes resulted in almost 100% survival rates and complete eradication of the bacteria from infection sites in the livers, spleens, and blood. These nubiotics were found to be as effective as intravenously administered ciprofloxacin, a potent and broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone. These results suggest that nubiotics may be a promising and effective approach for the treatment of burn wound infection caused by P. aeruginosa.