INVITRO ACTIVITY OF CEFEPIME, A NEW PARENTERAL CEPHALOSPORIN, AGAINST RECENT EUROPEAN BLOOD ISOLATES AND IN COMPARISON WITH PIPERACILLIN TAZOBACTAM

Cefepime, a new parenteral cephalosporin with broad antibacterial spectrum and stability to the hydrolysis to many bacterial (β-lactamases, was tested against recent blood culture isolates (369 strains of gram-negative bacilli and 131 strains of staphylococci) collected in 29 European laboratories by the microdilution method in Mueller-Hinton broth. Cefepime was very active against the gram-negative bacilli (MIC50≤0.016-0.064 mg/l; MIC90 0.064-4 mg/l) and less active against Pseudomonas (MIC50 4 mg/l; MIC90> 16 mg/l) or Acinetobacter (MIC50 and MIC90> 16 mg/l). The staphylococci were also inhibited (MIC50 8 mg/l; MIC90 16 mg/l). Cefepime was very active against bacteria producing different plasmid-encoded (β-lactamases (MIC 0.016- 0.5 mg/1). Piperacillin was not active against the latter strains (MIC from 2 to > 64 mg/ 1), but the presence of the (β-lactamase inhibitor tazobactam restored the activity of piperacillin. The bactericidal activity of cefepime and piperacillin/tazobactam against (β-lactamase-producing strains was confirmed by the by the killing curve technique. © 1990 S. Karger AG, Basel.