Comparative Antimicrobial Activity of Aminothiazolyl Methoxyimino Cephalosporins Against Anaerobic Bacteria, Including 100 Cefoxitin-resistant Isolates

Three aminothiazolyl methoxyimino cephalosporins (ceftizoxime, ceftriaxone, and cefotaxime with and without its metabolite) were tested against 500 strains of anaerobic bacteria using the NCCLS reference agar dilution procedure. Eighty-seven percent of all strains tested were from the Bacteroides fragilis group. When tested against a collection of 100 cefoxitin-resistant isolates, ceftizoxime and the cefotaxime/desacetyl-cefotaxime combination were the most active in vitro, inhibiting 32-38% of strains. Ceftriaxone inhibited the greatest number (87%) of cefoxitin-susceptible anaerobes at less than or equal to 32 micrograms/ml. A regional variation in the activity of these drugs was confirmed when an additional 300 isolates were examined from three medical centers. Cefotaxime, ceftizoxime, and ceftriaxone were essentially equal in overall antimicrobial activity, although each drug was judged the best at one of the three locations. Cefoxitin resistance (MIC greater than or equal to 32 micrograms/ml) was consistent among the institutions at a 25% incidence for all organisms tested, and 28% cefoxitin resistance among the B. fragilis group strains. Cefoxitin resistance was not determined to be associated with a beta-lactamase mechanism, but ceftriaxone and other aminothiazolyl cephems were hydrolyzed, thus elevating their MICs. Regional variation in anaerobic organism susceptibility to cephamycins and cephalosporins in company with the variable beta-lactam resistance mechanisms seems to require periodic, epidemiologic monitoring of in vitro drug activity by appropriate methods to assure continued antimicrobial efficacy.