title: In vitro activities of two drug combinations of ceftazidime, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, imipenem and temocillin against clinical isolates of Pseudomonas cepacia from patients with cystic fibrosis.
abstract: This study utilised the killing curve method to determine the in vitro effects of all possible two drug combinations of ceftazidine, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, imipenem and temocillin against 10 strains of Pseudomonas cepacia isolated from the sputa of cystic fibrosis patients. The incidence of synergy was 21% and that of antagonism was 5.2%. Combinations associated with synergy for 30% of isolates were ceftazidime/cefotaxime, ceftazidime/cefuroxime, cefotaxime/ciprofloxacin, cefotaxime/chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin/temocillin, and imipenem/ciprofloxacin. Combinations associated with synergy for 40% of isolates were ceftazidime/ciprofloxacin, cefotaximel temocillin, and imipenem/temocillin. The combination of ceftazidime/temocillin was associated with synergy against 70% of isolates. The present study therefore identifies several antibiotic combinations that may prove valuable, if confirmed in clinical studies, for treatment of P. cepacia infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kerr