ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF CEFOTAXIME TESTED AGAINST INFREQUENTLY ISOLATED PATHOGENIC SPECIES (UNUSUAL PATHOGENS)

The cefotaxime sodium spectrum of activity is very broad and includes many common species and a variety of less frequently isolated pathogens. We have reviewed the clinical microbiology literature (44 references) and the data base of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (Iowa City, IA) to collect data on the activity of cefotaxime against the less common species. Cefotaxime was consistently active against Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Capnocytophaga spp., Eikenella corrodens, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Pasteurella multocida, Plesiomonas shigelloides, and Fusobacterium nucleatum. The species Alcaligenes xylosoxidans, Flavobacterium spp., Stenotrophomonas (Xanthomonas) maltophilia, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Rhodococcus equi were uniformly cefotaxime resistant. For many other species there was considerable variation in reported minimum inhibitory concentrations. These data may be helpful in guiding therapy of unusual infections, particularly in the case of fastidious species, where the appropriate susceptibility testing methodology may not be immediately or routinely available.