2809. In Vitro Synergy of Antibiotic Combinations Against Enterococcus gallinarum

BACKGROUND: Enterococci are an important cause of endocarditis, particularly involving prosthetic valves. The prevalence of E. gallinarum has been increasing in recent years. Unlike E. faecalis, no information is available regarding the bactericidal activity of ampicillin alone or combined with gentamicin or ceftriaxone against E. gallinarum. METHODS: Ten blood culture isolates of E. gallinarum were studied. The isolates came from unique patients at a single hospital. MICs of ampicillin, ceftriaxone and gentamicin were done by the CLSI microdilution method. ATCC strains E. faecalis 29212 and P. aeruginosa 27853 were used as controls. Time-kill studies were performed in CA-MHB for ampicillin 10 mg/L, ceftriaxone 10 mg/L, gentamicin at 0.25 x MIC up to a maximum of 4 mg/L, ampicillin + ceftriaxone, and ampicillin + gentamicin. Bactericidal activity was defined as a 1,000-fold decrease in the log(10) cfu/mL at 24 h. Synergy was defined as a 100-fold decrease in the log(10) cfu/ml at 24 h in a combination compared to each single agent. RESULTS: The MICs of ampicillin ranged from 1 to 8 mg/L, gentamicin from 2 to 16 mg/L, and ceftriaxone were all ≥ 32 mg/L. Results of the time-kill studies are summarized in the Table. Ampicillin alone was bactericidal against a single isolate. For that isolate, testing of ampicillin at 0.25 x MIC with gentamicin demonstrated synergy. The combination of ampicillin + ceftriaxone was synergistic against a single isolate, but was otherwise similar to ampicillin alone. Ampicillin + gentamicin was bactericidal against all isolates and was synergistic against all but one isolate. [Table: see text] CONCLUSION: Ampicillin alone was generally not bactericidal against E. gallinarum but had synergistic bactericidal activity when combined with gentamicin, similar to the findings with E. faecalis. However, unlike E. faecalis, ampicillin + ceftriaxone was not bactericidal against most isolates of E. gallinarum. These findings support the suggestion that ampicillin + gentamicin might be the optimal treatment for endovascular infections caused by E. gallinarum. DISCLOSURES: All Authors: No reported disclosures