Antimicrobial activity of psychotropic drugs - Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Psychotropic drugs have been shown to have antimicrobial activity against s everal groups of microorganisms. Some of these drugs, such as the new antid epressant agents sertraline, fluoxetine and paroxetine are known to act as efflux pump inhibitors in human cells. Their activity has been studied, alo ne and combined with antibiotics, against bacterial species, mainly in mult iply resistant strains. These agents have surprising activity, mainly again st Gram positive microorganisms. They also show synergistic activity when c ombined with some antibiotics against several bacteria, shown by a decrease in MICs, that converts strains previously resistant to the category of sen sitive, and modify physiological aspects related with pathogenicity. (C) 20 00 Elsevier Science B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rig hts reserved.