Comparative in vitro activity of cefepime (BMY 28142) against multiresistant nosocomial isolates ofPseudomonas aeruginosa

The in vitro activity of a new parenteral cephalosporin cefepime (BMY 28142) was compared with that of ceftazidime, cefotaxime, piperacillin, imipenem, gentamicin, amikacin and ciprofloxacin against 173 recent multiresistantPseudomonas aeruginosa isolates of nosocomial origin using an agar dilution technique with an inoculum of 10⁴ CFU per spot. The activity of cefepime was comparable to that of ceftazidime, superior to that of cefotaxime, piperacillin, gentamicin and amikacin, but inferior to that of imipenem and ciprofloxacin. Cross-resistance ofPseudomonas aeruginosa to ceftazidime and cefepime occurred in nearly 50% of the cefepime resistant strains and 61.5% of the ceftazidime resistant strains respectively.