Clinical and bacteriological evaluation of netilmicin in gram-negative infections

A preliminary study was conducted with netilmicin, a new aminoglycoside antibiotic. Its effectiveness was evaluated in vitro against 546 strains of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from clinical material. Its effectiveness against gentamicin-susceptible strains was roughly similar to that of gentamicin and other newer aminoglycoside antibiotics. Cross-resistance to netilmicin was found in 9 of 44 gentamicin-resistant strains. A favorable clinical response was observed in 70% of the patients treated with a dose of netilmicin ranging from 4.5 to 7.5 mg/kg. However, the appearance of granular casts was seen in 7 of 10 patients receiving the higher dosage of netilmicin (7.5 mg/kg) and a rise in blood urea nitrogen or serum creatinine levels was observed in 5 of these patients.