Enhanced killing of penicillin-treated S. aureus by host defences: effects of amoxycillin, cloxacillin and nafcillin in vitro and in experimental mastitis.

The effects of pretreatment of Staphylococcus aureus with subMIC or 10 x MIC amoxycillin, cloxacillin and nafcillin on subsequent killing by bovine neutrophils or sensitivity to lysostaphin were examined in vitro, using penicillinase positive and negative strains. All penicillins increased the susceptibility of S. aureus to bovine neutrophils; with amoxycillin this was most marked with the penicillinase negative strain. Cloxacillin pretreatment was significantly more effective than nafcillin or amoxycillin in some tests and equally effective in others. The sensitivity of S. aureus to lysostaphin was increased following cloxacillin or nafcillin exposure. In a mouse model of mastitis, more cloxacillin and nafcillin-treated S. aureus (at 1/4 MIC) were killed than untreated bacteria 1 hr after infection but by 4 hr no differences were found. No differences were seen after intramammary infection with 10 x MIC penicillin-treated S. aureus. In glands with established chronic mastitis both cloxacillin and nafcillin at high doses failed to kill staphylococci. These findings indicate that prior exposure to penicillins increases staphylococcal susceptibility to killing by neutrophils but following phagocytosis, intracellular bacteria are protected from the lethal action of penicillins.