[Activity of fosfomycin against Escherichia coli O157:H7--morphological changes and production of Shiga toxins].

We examined the effects of fosfomycin (FOM), norfloxacin (NFLX), kanamycin (KM), chloramphenicol (CP), and ampicillin (ABPC) on the morphology of E. coli O157:H7, and the accumulation (cell fraction) and release (medium fraction) of Shiga toxins (Stxs: Stx1 and Stx2) in E. coli O157:H7 three hours after treatment with the antibiotics. For each drug, 16 MIC was used for measurement of the activity at a high drug concentration and 1/4 MIC at a low concentration. At 16 MIC, cell wall synthesis inhibitors, FOM and ABPC, strongly induced lysis of the cell of E. coli KU3342, a strain of E. coli O157:H7. The release of Stx1 was observed, but there was no accumulation of Stxs. Nucleic acid synthesis inhibitor NFLX and protein synthesis inhibitor KM induced partial lysis and short filamentation of the cell, and the accumulation and release of Stxs were low. No morphological change was observed after treatment with protein synthesis inhibitor CP, but the accumulation and release of Stxs by CP were low. At 1/4 MIC, FOM induced strong lysis of the cell, and the release of Stx1 was observed, but there was no accumulation of Stxs. ABPC and NFLX had weak lytic reaction, but induced filamentation of the cell, and the accumulation and release of Stxs were observed. In particular, NFLX significantly induced accumulation and release of Stx2. KM and CP had no effect on the morphology of the cells, and the accumulation of Stx1 was not observed, but there was no release of Stxs. The above-mentioned results support the clinical efficacy of FOM in the control of enterohoemorhagic E. coli infections.