In vitro antimicrobial activity of T-91825, a novel anti-MRSA cephalosporin, and in vivo anti-MRSA activity of its prodrug, TAK-599

TAK-599 is a water-soluble prodrug of a cephalosporin compound, T-91825. In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of T-91825 and TAK-599, respectively, were examined. T-91825 was active against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, unlike vancomycin and linezolid, which are inactive against gram-negative bacteria. The 90% minimum inhibitory concentration of T-91825 against clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was 2 µg/ml. This activity was comparable to those of vancomycin, linezolid, teicoplanin, and arbekacin. T-91825 was similarly active against vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus . In a time-kill study, T-91825 showed more rapid and distinct decrease of viable cells of two MRSA strains than did vancomycin and linezolid in vitro. The effect of TAK-599 against systemic infection caused by clinical isolates of MRSA in mice was comparable or superior to that of vancomycin, linezolid, teicoplanin, and arbekacin. In addition, TAK-599 at a dose of 20 mg/kg significantly decreased bacterial counts in lungs of mice in an experimental pneumonia model caused by MRSA in which vancomycin and linezolid were totally ineffective at the same dose. These results suggest the usefulness of TAK-599 in the treatment of MRSA infections in humans.