In vitro activity of ceftizoxime on hospital bacteria. Results of a multicenter study

The susceptibility to ceftizoxime of all bacterial strains isolated from seven university-affiliated hospitals over one month was tested with disk-diffusion technique. Additionally, the MIC of 1937 strains selected at random was evaluated by the agar dilution method. The majority of Enterobacteriaceae are inhibited at a concentration of less than 1 microgram/ml with a mode MIC varying from 0.008 to 0.12 among the various groups. A few Enterobacter and Citrobacter strains are resistant. Little activity was demonstrated by ceftizoxime on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter sp. (mode MIC 32 and 8 micrograms/ml respectively). Haemophilus sp. (MIC 0.01-0.03) and Neisseria (MIC less than 0,008-0,016) are very susceptible to the drug. The MIC of methicillin-sensitive strains of Staphylococcus aureus varies from 1 to 4 micrograms/ml ; Enterococci are less susceptible, whereas other Streptococci and Pneumococci have low MICs (less than 0.008-0.025). The susceptibility of anaerobic pathogens varies widely between species, and within species ; MIC ranges from 0.008 to 32 micrograms/ml for Clostridium sp. and 0.25 to 128 micrograms/ml for Bacteroides sp.