Open AccessPotentiation of the Antibacterial Effect of Methanamine by Acetohydroxamic Acid
Author(s) -
Daniel M. Musher,
Donald P. Griffith,
Michael J. Tyler,
Alan Woelfel
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.07
H-Index - 259
eISSN - 1070-6283
pISSN - 0066-4804
DOI - 10.1128/aac.5.2.101
Subject(s) - acetohydroxamic acid , urease , in vivo , proteus , microbiology and biotechnology , in vitro , metabolite , urine , chemistry , bacteria , proteus mirabilis , biology , biochemistry , enzyme , escherichia coli , genetics , gene
In vitro testing shows nearly all strains ofProteus to be susceptible to methenamine. However, infection by urease-producing bacteria alkalinizes the urine in vivo and prevents generation of formaldehyde, the active metabolite, from methenamine. We have previously shown acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) to be an effective inhibitor of bacterial urease in vitro and in vivo. We now present data obtained by use of static and dynamic in vitro systems, which show that, by preventing urease-induced alkalinization of urine, AHA enables methenamine to exert its antibacterial effect against representativeProteus species.