IN-VITRO ACTIVITY OF AMOXYCILLIN CLAVULANATE AND TICARCILLIN/CLAVULANATE COMPARED WITH THAT OF OTHER ANTIBIOTICS AGAINST ANAEROBIC-BACTERIA- COMPARISON WITH THE RESULTS OF THE 1987 SURVEY/

The activity of amoxycillin/clavulanate(Augmentin(R)) and ticarcillin/ clavulanate (Timentin(R)) was tested against 351 strict anaerobic clin ical isolates collected from September 1993 to April 1994 in eight Bel gian university hospitals and compared with that of 8 other antibiotic s using the NCCLS reference agar dilution procedure. Production of bet a-lactamase was detected by the nitrocefin test in 48% of the isolates . At NCCLS-recommended breakpoints, more than 90% of isolates were sus ceptible to amoxycillin/clavulanate, ticarcillin/clavulanate, piperaci llin/tazobactam, imipenem, chloramphenicol and metronidazole but only 77%, 72% and 48% to cefoxitin, clindamycin and penicillin, respectivel y. In comparison with the results of a similar survey conducted in 198 7, no major changes in susceptibility were observed except for the sus ceptibility to clindamycin that declined from 83% to 72% overall, and from 83% to 66% in the B. fragilis group. Furthermore one isolate of C lostridium clostridioforme was found to produce beta-lactamase and a f ew B. fragilis group isolates showed reduced susceptibility to metroni dazole.