[Bacteriological and clinical evaluations of cefmenoxime in neonates and premature infants]

The antimicrobial activity of cefmenoxime (CMX) against B group Streptococcus was investigated. The clinical efficacy of CMX was determined in neonates and premature infants. The results are summarized below. 1. MIC's of CMX against 39 strains of B group Streptococcus obtained from the pregnant vagina were below 0.05 micrograms/ml. 2. CMX was given in a dose of 20 mg/kg by intravenous bolus injection to 3 neonates with birth weight over 2,500 grams. Peak serum concentrations ranged from 54.0 to 199 micrograms/ml and the mean half-life was 1.8 hours. 3. Efficacies of CMX were good to excellent in 5 cases administered for treatment and in 4 cases for prophylaxis. As abnormal laboratory parameters, elevation of GOT and eosinophilia were observed in each 2 cases. 4. Examinations on intestinal bacteria in 2 cases revealed that CMX gave as much influences to the flora as other third-generation cephems. 5. The vitamin K deficiency were observed in 2 out of 6 cases examined.