Abstract

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The effect of anticancer chemotherapies on mammalian cells had been studied previously but few studies are performed to study the reaction of the bacterial cell toward mutagenic chemotherapies. We sought to study the effect of some anticancer chemotherapies on the rapid development of resistance to ciprofloxacin in ciprofloxacin susceptible uropathogenic E.coli (UPEC) in vitro. METHODS: Two methods of mutation induction are performed, modified Ames test and modified tube method. Cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and methotrexate (MTX) at plasma concentration tested as mutagenic drugs towards ciprofloxacin resistance in UPEC. Disc diffusion test for antibiotic susceptablity is also used. Chi-square test test and pooled t test are used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: - Antibiotic susceptibility test; Multidrug resistance (70%) was found in the UPEC isolates and is often associated with the isolates of leukemic patients (P<0.05). About 90% of these isolates showed resistance to antibiotics which had been received previously by the leukemic patients during the administration of anticancer chemotherapies (P<0.01). - Mutation induction: In modified Ames test, a growth zone of 25mm and 24mm around the cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin containing discs respectively are developed. But no bacterial growth is noticed around both MTX and control discs. In modified tube method, ciprofloxacin susceptible UPEC developed resistance to it gradually during 72 hours. UPEC in doxorubicin, MTX containing broth and control broth still susceptible. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the mutagenic effect of cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin may be responsible for the relapsing during antibiotic treatment of urinary tract infections in patients treated with these drugs and perhaps other mutagenic anticancer chemotherapies