Treatment of lower respiratory tract infections with cefoperazone

Fifteen patients with documented bacterial lower respiratory tract infections were treated with cefoperazone (2 gm every 12 hours, administered parenterally) as the single antibiotic therapy. Pulmonary infections included pneumonia (10), anaerobic lung abscess (2), bronchitis (2), and exacerbation of bronchiectasis (1); most of the patients had concomitant illnesses that compromised their host-immune status. Bacteria recovered from respiratory tract cultures included aerobic gram-negative bacilli (17), anaerobes (6), and aerobic gram-positive cocci (3). After therapy, lasting 5 to 28 days, nine patients had complete resolution of their infection, and the remaining six patients had significant clinical improvement. Diarrhea was the adverse reaction most commonly noted; others included an unusual reaction resembling serum sickness, and, in one patient treated for 24 days, hypotension and a subsequent decrease in renal function. Drug-related abnormalities in blood and serum values were few and mild. Cefoperazone was found to be effective in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections.