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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, September 2007, p. 3117-3121, Vol. 51, No. 9
0066-4804/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.00343-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

In Vitro Activities of Different Inhibitors of Bacterial Transcription against Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilm

CNRS UMR 5236, Centre d'Études d'Agents Pathogènes et Biotechnologies pour la Santé, Faculté de Pharmacie, Montpellier, France,¹ Selectbiotics, Nîmes, France²

Received 14 March 2007/ Returned for modification 23 May 2007/ Accepted 19 June 2007

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a major cause of nosocomial infections because of its ability to form biofilms on the surface of medical devices. Only a few antibacterial agents are relatively active against biofilms, and rifampin, a transcription inhibitor, ranks among the most effective molecules against biofilm-related infections. Whether this efficacy is due to advantageous structural properties of rifampin or to the fact that the RNA polymerase is a favorable target remains unclear. In an attempt to answer this question, we investigated the action of different transcription inhibitors against S. epidermidis biofilm, including the newest synthetic transcription inhibitors. This comparison suggests that most of the antibiotics that target the RNA polymerase are active on S. epidermidis biofilms at concentrations close to their MICs. One of these compounds, CBR703, despite its high MIC ranks among the best antibiotics to eradicate biofilm-embedded bacteria.

Published ahead of print on 2 July 2007.