Activity of imipenem against clinical isolates

Imipenem is a new carbapenem antibiotic which is highly active against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. The purpose of this study is to establish the in-vitro activity of imipenem against recent clinical isolates of bacteria obtained from patients at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of the antibiotic against these isolates were determined using an agar dilution method. With the exception of Flavobacterium sp, some Pseudomonas sp and certain other non-fermentative Gram negative bacilli, imipenem was found to be active against a wide range of both Gram positive and Gram negative organisms. Imipenem could be a valuable alternative in cases of hospital infection caused by multiply resistant organisms.