In vitro synergistic activity between bismuth subcitrate and various antimicrobial agents against Campylobacter pyloridis (C. pylori).

The in vitro interactions between bismuth subcitrate and a variety of antimicrobial agents against 12 Campylobacter pyloridis (C. pylori) isolates were studied by the agar dilution checkerboard technique. The combination of bismuth subcitrate with the older quinolone, oxolinic acid, produced synergistic activity against all strains. This observation, however, could not be extended to the (aryl) fluoroquinolones, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, and difloxacin, since synergy was rare or absent when bismuth subcitrate was combined with these antibiotics. Among the other antimicrobial agents tested, rifampin and the beta-lactams frequently showed showed MICs for C. pyloridis similar to those of bismuth subcitrate.