EFFECTS OF CONTINUOUS EXPOSURE TO CIPROFLOXACIN ON THE OUTER-MEMBRANEOF PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA

The present work evaluated the effect of ciprofloxacin on the outer me mbrane proteins (OMPs), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the variation of minimal inhibitory concentrations (M.I.C.) of three P. aeruginosa stra ins after using 1/2 and 1/16 sub-M.I.C. drug doses for five days. Cipr ofloxacin significantly modified the M.I.C. values. After contact with sub-M.I.C. drug doses two strains showed a decreased expression of a band migrating at 46 Kd, i.e. in the region of protein D that some aut hors claim is involved in quinolone diffusion. No major alteration of LPS structure was observed.