Comparison of Antibacterial Activity of a New Cephalosporin, Ceftizoxime (FK 749) with Other Cephalosporin Antibiotics

FK 749 is a distinctive new parenteral cephalosporin antibiotic with a broad antibacterial spectrum which is more potently active against a wide variety of Gram-negative bacilli, including the opportunistic pathogens such as Citrobacter and Enterobacter species and Serratia marcescens, than SCE 963, T 1551 and cefmetazole. The activity of FK 749 against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, pyogenes was by far superior to that of the three other antibiotics. These test organisms were not resistant to FK 749. The antibacterial activity of FK 749 against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was almost the same as that of ticarcillin but was inferior to that of gentamicin and T 1551. The bactericidal activity of FK 749 against E. coli, K. pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis was more potent than that of the three other antibiotics. FK 749, like cefmetazole, was extremely stable to beta-lactamases. In studies in mice, the therapeutic effect of subcutaneous injection of FK 749 against various infections due to Gram-negative bacilli was by far superior to that of SCE 963, T 1551 and cefmetazole, was almost the same as that of SCE 963 and cefmetazole against Staphylococcus aureus infection and that of ticarcillin against P. aeruginosa infection.