Susceptibility of Bordetella pertussis to doxycycline, cinoxacin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, imipenem, mecillinam and rifampicin.

The susceptibility of Bordetella pertussis to doxycycline, cinoxacin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, imipenem (N-formimidoyl-thienamycin), mecillinam and rifampicin was studied by agar and broth dilution. There were discrepancies between MICs registered on solid medium and in fluid medium. There seems to be a need for methodological studies on the antibiotic susceptibility of Bord. pertussis using different techniques. None of the compounds tested seemed to be realistic alternatives to the well documented erythromycin.