Diffusion of cefmenoxime and latamoxef into prostatic fluid in the patients with acute bacterial prostatitis

Twenty-two patients with acute bacterial prostatitis were treated with cefmenoxime (CMX) or latamoxef (LMOX), which have susceptibilities against various gram-negative bacteria. First 11 patients received a 5- to 12-day course of cefmenoxime and the next 11 received a 6- to 13-day course of latamoxef. All patients were treated successfully except 1 patient with a drug allergy. Diffusion of CMX or LMOX into prostatic fluid in these patients and healthy controls were evaluated. The mean value of CMX in the expressed prostatic fluid was 12.8 micrograms/ml in the patients receiving 2 g of CMX intravenously and 0.7 micrograms/ml in the controls. The mean value of LMOX was 14.0 micrograms/ml in the patients receiving 2 g of LMOX intravenously and 1.2 micrograms/ml in the controls. The diffusion of CMX and LMOX into prostatic fluid in the patients with acute bacterial prostatitis was strikingly higher than that of controls.