Etimicin is a novel fourth generation semisynthetic
aminoglycoside. It has good antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive and
gram-negative bacterial infections and also against
aminoglycoside resistant strains. In the present study, in vitro antibacterial activity of
etimicin was determined by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and time kill curve tests against type strains and 407 clinical isolates (obtained in a surveillance study), in comparison to other
aminoglycosides. Test results revealed that
etimicin has potential antimicrobial activity and MIC, MBC values for
etimicin were low compared to other
aminoglycosides. In MBC test
etimicin has exhibited potential bactericidal effect ranging from 0.25 to 2 mg/L. The time kill-curve study further demonstrated the rapid, concentration dependent killing and comparative study showed
etimicin to exhibit long and effective bactericidal activity over
amikacin. The interesting fact is that most of the tested
aminoglycoside resistant clinical isolates were susceptible to
etimicin. In view of its potent in vitro antibacterial activity and efficacy profiles, it can be concluded that
etimicin can be a potent
injectable agent for the treatment of severe
bacterial infections.