Enoxacin: a potent inducer of filamentous Escherichia coli cells (a note).

ABSTRACT

Enoxacin (CI-919; AT-2266), a new naphthyridine derivative was found to induce morphologic changes at very low concentrations in Escherichia coli but not in Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells. The development of the long filamentous forms observed with nalidixic acid is most probably a consequence of inhibition of DNA synthesis. The phenomenon may, however, not be the sole mechanism of the broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of enoxacin.