In vitro activity of the new fluoroketolide solithromycin (CEM-101) against macrolide-resistant and -susceptible Mycoplasma genitalium strains.

Mycoplasma genitalium has become well established as an etiological agent of sexually transmitted infections, but due to its fastidious growth requirements, only a few M. genitalium strains are available to determine the MICs of currently used and new antimicrobial agents. Recent clinical trials have suggested that treatment with azithromycin has decreasing efficacy due to an increasing prevalence of macrolide resistance, and alternative treatment with moxifloxacin is similarly under pressure from emerging resistance. Thus, there is an urgent need for new antimicrobials. The in vitro activity of the newly developed fluoroketolide solithromycin (CEM-101) was evaluated against a collection of 40 M. genitalium strains, including 15 with high-level macrolide resistance and 5 multidrug-resistant strains with resistance to both macrolides and quinolones. Furthermore, the MIC of solithromycin was correlated with mutations in the 23S rRNA gene and in the genes encoding ribosomal proteins L4 and L22. The in vitro results showed that solithromycin has activity against M. genitalium superior to that of other macrolides, doxycycline, and fluoroquinolones. Accordingly, this new fluoroketolide might be an effective option for treatment of M. genitalium infections. However, the efficacy of solithromycin in clinical trials with follow-up for test of cure and detection of genotypic and phenotypic resistance needs to be evaluated prior to widespread use. In a phase 2 clinical trial, solithromycin was highly effective as a single oral dose against C. trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, suggesting that solithromycin could be a treatment option for several sexually transmitted infections, including in syndromic treatment of urethral and vaginal discharge.