V. Berry et al., BACTERICIDAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF AMOXICILLIN ON HELICOBACTER-PYLORI, Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 39(8), 1995, pp. 1859-1861
The growth kinetics of Helicobacter pylori after it has been exposed t
o amoxicillin have been investigated in conjunction with studies of ce
ll morphology. A potent bactericidal effect was observed at concentrat
ions 10-fold higher than the MIC, but this was accompanied by an incre
ase in the residual numbers of coccoid forms observed. In the presence
of 10 mu g of amoxicillin per ml, these forms could be detected as ra
pidly as 6 h after exposure to the antibiotic Although the clinical re
levance of coccoid forms remains unknown, such forms should be conside
red when potential anti-Helicobacter agents are tested in vitro.