[Cefoxitin: its role in the therapy of anaerobic infections]

Cefoxitin is a second generation cephalosporin commonly used to treat anaerobic and mixed infections. The authors reviewed the recently published data about the efficacy of cefoxitin; its utility in different clinical entities, patterns of resistance and resistance mechanisms, indications and reliability of in vitro susceptibility testing. These data indicate the need for determining susceptibility patterns of anaerobics at each hospital and point out to the essential close communication between the microbiologist and clinician to the rational treatment of anaerobic infections.