Catecholamine inotropes as growth factors for Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative staphylococci

Drugs commonly used in intensive care settings were assayed for their abili ty to affect the growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis in a minimal salts me dium containing 30% serum. Of 28 compounds tested, the inotropic catecholam ines adrenaline, dobutamine, dopamine, isoprenaline and noradrenaline signi ficantly stimulated bacterial growth. These drugs, but not structurally sim ilar compounds lacking a dihydroxybenzoyl moiety (such as tyramine, phenyle phrine and salbutamol), were able to remove iron from iron-saturated transf errin and to supply transferrin-bound Fe-55 to S. epidermidis cells. Simila r results were observed with a range of coagulase-negative staphylococci as sociated with line infections, but not with Staphylococcus aureus (includin g MRSA). (C) 2001 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Publish ed by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.