title: Ertapenem (MK-0826), a new carbapenem: comparative in vitro activity against clinically significant anaerobes.
abstract: Ertapenem, a new long acting beta-lactam with broad-spectrum antimicrobial coverage, was tested in vitro to compare its activity against 556 clinical isolates of anaerobes to other established agents using a broth microdilution method as recommended by the NCCLS. Against all anaerobes ertapenem inhibited 99.1% of isolates at 4 microg/mL, had a mode MIC of 0.12 microg/mL, and showed activity comparable to imipenem, meropenem, trovafloxacin, piperacillin-tazobactam, and metronidazole. Five of the B. fragilis group (4 B. fragilis, 1 B. vulgatus) isolates tested showed reduced susceptibility (>or=8 microg/mL; <1%) to ertapenem while all isolates of Prevotella, Porphyromonas, Fusobacterium, and Peptostreptococcus were susceptible. Only piperacillin-tazobactam had susceptible MIC's for all test isolates followed by metronidazole and the carbapenems exhibiting low resistance rates (<1%).
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. kaldri@lsuhsc.edu
authors.forename: Kenneth E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Aldridge
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D000077727:Ertapenem; D006801:Humans; D007769:Lactams; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D047090:beta-Lactams
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D007769:Lactams; D047090:beta-Lactams; D000077727:Ertapenem