title: In vitro activity of meropenem compared with imipenem, metronidazole, ampicillin, and ampicillin/sulbactam against anaerobes.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to compare the in vitro activity of meropenem (ICI 194660, CAS 96036-03-2) with imipenem, metronidazole, clindamycin, ampicillin and ampicillin/sulbactam against a variety of anaerobic bacteria using an agar dilution method. 423 clinical isolates were tested belonging to 70 species of 15 anaerobic genera. They included Bacteroides fragilis (n = 62), Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (n = 45), Prevotella bivia (n = 11), Fusobacterium nucleatum (n = 12), Clostridium perfringens (n = 15) and several rarely isolated species and genera, e.g. Selenomonas sputigena and Clostridium symbiosum. Bacteroides species were inhibited by meropenem at < or = 2.0 micrograms/ml, Clostridium species, including C. difficile, at < or = 4.0 micrograms/ml and all the other anaerobes at < or = 0.5 microgram/ml. Meropenem and imipenem were the most active substances, but often equal to, or only slightly better than, metronidazole, clindamycin or ampicillin/sulbactam, dependent on species. Meropenem was especially active against Bacteroides gracilis (MIC90 0.015 microgram/ml), Prevotella disiens (MIC90 0.03 microgram/ml), Fusobacterium nucleatum (MIC90 0.015 microgram/ml), Clostridium perfringens (MIC90 0.015 microgram/ml) and Veillonella parvula (MIC90 0.03 microgram/ml). The results obtained indicate that meropenem might be a useful adjunct to chemotherapy of anaerobic and mixed aerobic and anaerobic infections.
authors.affiliation: Hygiene-Institut, Universität Tübingen, Fed. Rep. of Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Manncke
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gerbracht
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Werner
mesh_terms: D000667:Ampicillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000187:drug effects*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D002981:Clindamycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D015378:Imipenem / Q000494:pharmacology; D000077731:Meropenem; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D013407:Sulbactam / Q000494:pharmacology; D013845:Thienamycins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D013845:Thienamycins; D008795:Metronidazole; D002981:Clindamycin; D015378:Imipenem; D000667:Ampicillin; D000077731:Meropenem; D013407:Sulbactam