[Laboratory and clinical studies of cefmetazole in serious infection by Staphylococcus (author's transl)]

Cefmetazole (CMZ) is an antibiotic agent belonging to the cephamycin group, which is resistant to beta-lactamase and has a broad antibacterial spectrum covering from Gram-negative to -positive organisms. Although this agent has been proved to have an antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus spp., it has not been used for treatment of the infections caused by the organism. Thus, 62 strains of S. aureus isolated clinically were compared for their sensitivity to CMZ, cefoxitin (CFX), cefuroxime (CXM), cefazolin (CEZ), and ampicillin (ABPC). In addition, 5 children suffering from septicemia due to S. aureus were treated with CMZ 158 mg/kg at a mean daily dose for a mean period of 14 days. The dose was used after dividing into 3 and 4 equal parts in 1 and 4 children, respectively. One old patient with septicemia was given 2,000 mg of CMZ twice daily for 4 days and once daily for subsequent 3 days. Another child with bacterial meningitis was treated with 50 mg/kg of CMZ 4 times daily for 63 days. The drug was given intravenous injection by one-shot or drip infusion in all cases under observation of clinical effects, bacteriological effects and side effects. The MIC of CMZ against S. aureus at inoculum sizes of 10(6) and 10(8) cells/ml was 1.56 mcg/ml in 72.6 and 56.5% of the strains, respectively. When 5 drugs were compared on the basis of the MIC to which the largest number of strains were sensitive, CEZ was most active, and CMZ was ranked in the next place and similar to CXM in activity. However, when the whole range of the MIC was considered, CMZ was more excellent than CXM, its MIC was lower than those of CEZ, CFX and ABPC in a greater number of strains. It was considered from the results that the serum level of CMZ was effective against 100 and 93.5% of strains at an inoculum size of 10(6) cells/ml and against 100 and 83.9% of strains at an inoculum size of 10(8) cells/ml until 4 and 6 hours after a one-shot intravenous injection of 50 mg/kg of Moni-trol I standard, respectively in the children. Thus, CMZ is expected to manifest a sufficient effect on septicemia caused by S. aureus in children who receive a one-shot intravenous injection of 50 mg/kg of it 4 times daily. Treatment with CMZ was clinically evaluated to be excellent in 3, good in 3 and poor in none of 6 patients with septicemia due to S. aureus, and fair in the 1 with Staphylococcal meningitis. The bacteriological result was excellent, since the causal organisms were eradicated in all cases. With regard to side effects, abnormal eosinophilia was found in 2 cases, but it was no ascribable to this drug in 1 of them. GOT showed an abnormal rise in 1 case and both GOT and GPT in 1, although they were considered not to be related to this drug in either case. It is considered from these results that CMZ is a valuable drug in treatment of septicemia due to S. aureus.