Etamycin as a Novel Mycobacterium abscessus Inhibitor

Abstract

The increase in drug-resistantMycobacterium abscessus, which has become resistant to existing standard-of-care agents, is a major concern, and new antibacterial agents are strongly needed. In this study, we introduced etamycin that showed an excellent activity againstM. abscessus. We found that etamycin significantly inhibited the growth ofM. abscessuswild-type strain, three subspecies, and clinical isolates in vitro and inhibited the growth ofM. abscessusthat resides in macrophages without cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the in vivo efficacy of etamycin in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) infection model was greater than that of clarithromycin, which is recommended as the core agent for treatingM. abscessusinfections. Thus, we concluded that etamycin is a potential anti-M. abscessuscandidate for further development as a clinical drug candidate.