Potent <i>In Vitro</i> and <i>Ex Vivo</i> Anti-Gonococcal Activity of the RpoB Inhibitor Corallopyronin A
Jennifer L. Edwards, Jacqueline T. Balthazar, Danillo Lucas Alves Espósito, Julio C. Ayala, Andrea Schiefer, Kenneth Pfarr, Achim Hoerauf, Silke Alt, Thomas Hesterkamp, Miriam Große, Marc Stadler, Daniel Golparian, Magnus Unemo, Timothy D. Read, William M. Shafer
Abstract
The high global incidence of gonorrhea, the lack of a protective vaccine, and the emergence of N. gonorrhoeae strains expressing resistance to currently used antibiotics demand that new treatment options be developed. Accordingly, we investigated whether corallopyronin A, an antibiotic which is effective against other pathogens, including C. trachomatis , which together with gonococci frequently cause co-infections in humans, could exert anti-gonococcal action in vitro and ex vivo , and potential resistance emergence.