[Comparative in vitro study of the antimicrobial activity of ceftazidime against clinical isolates]

The antimicrobial activity of ceftazidime was tested against 1482 gram-negative and 1216 gram-positive strains isolated from fresh clinical specimens and compared with generally used antibiotics including other third generation cephalosporins and broad spectrum penicillins. Minimal inhibitory concentrations were determined in a broth dilution test on microtiter plates. In the group of the gram-negative bacteria ceftazidime was the most active of the antimicrobial agents tested with an MIC of 0.5 mg/l (MIC90) for most of the isolates. Ceftazidime exhibited a broad spectrum of activity against gram-negative pathogenic bacteria including Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Proteus spp. Enterobacter spp., Citrobacter spp., Serratia spp.) including frequently resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter spp. and Alcaligenes faecalis. The activity against P. aeruginosa is the most remarkable property of the agent. Ceftazidime is less effective against gram-positive compared to gram-negative bacteria. No inhibitory action can be observed against Streptococcus faecalis.