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In vitro activities of cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, cefpirome, and penicillin against Streptococcus

A L Barry1, S D Brown, W J Novick

  • 1Clinical Microbiology Institute, Tualatin, Oregon 97062, USA.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
|October 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

Extended-spectrum cephalosporins show varying activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae. Cefpirome demonstrated superior potency against penicillin-resistant strains, offering a potential therapeutic option.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of bacterial infections worldwide.
  • Increasing penicillin resistance in S. pneumoniae necessitates evaluation of alternative antibiotics.
  • Extended-spectrum cephalosporins are crucial in treating pneumococcal infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the in vitro activity of four extended-spectrum cephalosporins and benzyl penicillin against clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
  • To compare the efficacy of cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, cefpirome, and ceftazidime against different penicillin susceptibility profiles of S. pneumoniae.

Main Methods:

  • In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on 698 clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
  • Disk diffusion or broth microdilution methods were used to determine minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs).
  • Isolates were categorized based on penicillin susceptibility: susceptible, intermediate, and resistant.

Main Results:

  • Cefotaxime and ceftriaxone exhibited similar activity, effective against penicillin-susceptible and most penicillin-intermediate strains.
  • Cefpirome was twice as potent as cefotaxime and ceftriaxone against penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae strains.
  • Ceftazidime demonstrated significantly lower activity, with its spectrum limited to penicillin-susceptible S. pneumoniae.

Conclusions:

  • Cefotaxime and ceftriaxone are effective against a broad range of S. pneumoniae, including many penicillin-intermediate strains.
  • Cefpirome offers enhanced activity against penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae, representing a valuable therapeutic option.
  • Ceftazidime has limited in vitro activity against S. pneumoniae and is not recommended for these infections.

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