Abstract
The in-vitro antimicrobial activity of ceftazidime (CAZ) was compared with that of cefazolin (CEZ), cefotaxime (CTX) and cefoperazone (CPZ) against gram-positive cocci and gram-negative bacilli. Against Pseudomonas app. cefsulodin (CFS) was also added in the comparison.
Against S. aureus and S. epidermidis CAZ was less active than the other cephems. Against Streptococci CAZ was as active as CEZ and CPZ, but was less active than CTX.
Against strains of the Enterobacteriaceae such as E. coli, Shigella, Salmonella, K. pneumoniae, Citrobacter and Enterobacter, CAZ showed the strong activity comparable to that of CTX and CPZ. Against Serratia, CAZ was the most active agent of all the antibiotics tested. Though the antimicrobial activity of CAZ against Proteus spp. was less than that of CTX, its MIC ranged from 0.05 to 0.78μg/ml. Against P. aeruginosa and P. cepacia, CAZ was more active than CFS.
CAZ was given to 8 patients, namely 5 with respiratory tract infections, two with urinary tract infections and 1 with subacute bacterial endocarditis. The clinical efficacy obtained was: excellent in 1 cases, good in 6 and poor in 1. The poor response was recorded in a case of lobar pneumonia caused by S. pneumoniae.
As for side effect, itching exanthema accompanied by elevation of transaminase was observed in 1 case.
