title: Preliminary experience with ceftazidime monotherapy in perinatal infection.
abstract: Ceftazidime, a new cephalosporin antibiotic, was used as monotherapy to treat 75 term neonates with suspected perinatal bacterial infection. Septicemia was documented in ten patients (13%). Ceftazidime was administered as 25 mg/kg doses intravenously every 12 h. Peak serum concentrations at 0.5 h after dose ranged from 57 to 115 micrograms/ml and trough serum concentrations prior to next dose from 2 to 15 micrograms/ml. The overall clinical, bacteriological and laboratory response to ceftazidime was satisfactory and the drug was well tolerated. However, reservations with regard to study design, limited gram-positive drug activity and potential emergence of drug resistance require further well-controlled clinical evaluations of ceftazidime in neonatal intensive care units, before definite recommendations for the use of this antibiotic in perinatal infection can be formulated.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002442:Ceftazidime / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D007710:Klebsiella Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000188:drug therapy; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D002442:Ceftazidime