In vitro antibacterial activity of the combination of sulphadiazine and trimethoprim on bacterial fish pathogens

Abstract. The in vitro bacteriostatic activity of a combination of sulphadiazine (SDZ) and trimethoprim (TMP) against representative bacterial fish pathogens was studied. In general, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of TMP were much smaller than comparable values for SDZ. When SDZ and TMP were combined, the bacteriostatic effect was enhanced in a synergistic manner for all bacteria tested except Pseudomonas fluorescens . The synergism was most remarkable in the case of bacterial strains that were sensitive to the action of SDZ alone. This degree of synergism was observed when the ratios of SDZ and TMP in combination were in the range of 1:1 io 5:1. The MIC of SDZ plus TMP combined was less than 3.13 μg/ml for SDZ resistant strains and as low as 0.2 to 0.78 μ/ml for SDZ sensitive strains. The possible usefulness of a combination of these two compounds for therapy or control of bacterial fish disease is discussed.