Antimicrobial sensitivity testing of levonadifloxacin – A novel benzoquinolizine drug against MRSA isolates in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) adds a significant burden for health-care workers. In India there is a significant rise in prevalence of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus recently. Treatment has become very difficult among the resistant Staphylococcal isolates. Currently vancomycin and linezolid are the commonly used antibiotics. But these drugs have their adverse effects. Hence improved bactericidal antibiotics with increased tissue penetration and low possibility of developing resistance and safe to be used in chronic cases should be used for management of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. The drug Levonadifloxacin acts actively against Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Quinolone - resistant Staphylococcus aureus phenotypes. Recently in India, levonadifloxacin has been approved for the treatment of various infections like acute bacterial skin and soft tissue infections with complicating blood stream infections and also for diabetes complicating infections. Hence we evaluated the activity of levonadifloxacin (10g) by Kirby– Bauer disk diffusion assay against Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates in the central laboratory of a tertiary care centre for a period of 1year between May 2021 to April 2022. 296 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus were identified from various clinical samples. Based on the results of disc diffusion test using Cefoxitin disc, Of the 296 Staphylococcus aureus isolates 104 were methicillin resistant and the rest of the 192 were methicillin sensitive. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates were tested against levonadifloxacin by disc diffusion which yielded 100% susceptibility rate. Hence this study displays potent activity of the drug levonadifloxacin against Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates and is recommended for therapeutic use.