Cefoxitin for treatment of infections due to anaerobic bacteria

Twenty-seven patients with 29 infections due to anaerobic or mixed anaerobic-aerobic bacteria were treated with cefoxitin. From the 27 patients 99 isolates of anaerobic bacteria and 70 isolates of aerobic bacteria were recovered. Twelve pleuropulmonary infections, 12 soft tissue infections, three bone infections, and two intraabdominal infections were treated. Twenty-six of the 29 infections were completely or partially eradicated; the remaining three infections were unchanged. One-third of the patients experienced phlebitis; in two instances severe phlebitis caused discontinuation of therapy. In this study cefoxitin appeared to be an effective single agent for the therapy of infections due to specific anaerobic bacteria or to a mixed flora of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria.