In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of AT-4140, a new broad-spectrum quinolone.

AT-4140, 5-amino-1-cyclopropyl-6,8-difluoro-1,4-dihydro-7-(cis-3,5- dimethyl-1-piperazinyl)-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid, showed broad and potent antibacterial activity. Its MICs for 90% of the strains tested were 0.1 to 0.78 micrograms/ml against gram-positive organisms, such as members of the genera Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Enterococcus, and 0.0125 to 1.56 micrograms/ml against gram-negative organisms, such as members of the family Enterobacteriaceae and the genera Pseudomonas, Branhamella, Campylobacter, Haemophilus, and Neisseria. Its MICs were 0.025 to 0.78 micrograms/ml against glucose nonfermenters, such as members of the genera Xanthomonas, Acinetobacter, Alcaligenes, Moraxella, Flavobacterium, and Brucella; 0.2 to 0.78 micrograms/ml against anaerobes, such as Clostridium perfringens and Bacteroides fragilis; 0.0125 to 0.05 micrograms/ml against Legionella spp.; 0.0125 to 0.2 micrograms/ml against Mycoplasma spp.; 0.031 to 0.063 micrograms/ml against Chlamydia spp.; and 0.1 to 0.3 micrograms/ml against Mycobacterium spp. The potencies of AT-4140 against gram-negative organisms were comparable to those of ciprofloxacin and higher than those of ofloxacin, enoxacin, and norfloxacin. The potencies of AT-4140 against gram-positive organisms, glucose nonfermenters, anaerobes, Mycoplasma spp., Chlamydia spp., and Mycobacterium spp. were generally higher than those of the quinolones with which AT-4140 was compared. AT-4140 showed good oral efficacy against systemic infections with Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mice. Its efficacy was better when a daily dose was given once than when it was given in two doses. Good efficacies of the orally administered drug were also observed in pulmonary, dermal, and urinary tract infection models in mice. The in vivo efficacies of AT-4140 were equal to or better than those of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, enoxacin, and norfloxacin.