IN-VITRO ACTIVITIES OF 14 ANTIBIOTICS AGAINST 100 HUMAN ISOLATES OF YERSINIA-PESTIS FROM A SOUTHERN AFRICAN PLAGUE FOCUS

A limited repertoire of antimicrobial agents is currently in use for t he treatment of plague. We investigated the in vitro activities of som e newer antimicrobial agents against Yersinia pestis. Among the inject able agents tested, cefotaxime was the most active, and among the oral agents, both levofloxacin and ofloxacin were highly active, with MICs at which 90% of isolates are inhibited of <0.03 mu g/ml. The suscepti bilities to the ketolide RU004 and the penem faropenem warrant attenti on. The enhanced activities of quinolones against Y. pestis suggest th at these agents should be further investigated for the treatment of hu man plague in the future.