[Antimicrobial activities of meropenem against clinically isolated strains in 1999]

We determined the antibacterial activity of meropenem (MEPM) and control drugs against clinical isolates of 310 strains of Gram-positive bacteria (14 species), 590 strains of Gram-positive bacteria (21 species), and 120 strains of anaerobic bacteria (10 species) in 1999. We compared the results thus obtained with those in 1993 and 1997. The results were as follows; 1. MEPM showed excellent antibacterial activities against most of the species tested, except for MRSA, E. faecium, E. avium, and methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE). 2. MEPM had much higher activity than IPM and PAPM against Gram-negative bacteria including S. marcescens and P. aeruginosa, part of which have been reported to produce metallo-beta-lactamase. 3. There was little difference in the susceptibility of clinical isolates to MEPM between 1993 and 1999. Thus MEPM was shown to retain its potent and broad antibacterial activity now at the same level as before available for use in 1995.