IN-VITRO ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF THE NE W FLUOROQUINOLONE SPARFLOXACIN ON NOSOCOMIAL BACTERIA, AND CONCORDANCE CURVE

Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of sparfloxacin (SFX) were de termined by agar dilution for 3 164 bacterial strains isolated in 10 u niversity hospitals; in addition, antibiograms by agar diffusion were performed with 5 mu g disks. Activity of SFX against nalidixic acid (N AL) susceptible (S) Enterobacteriaceae was close to that of other fluo roquinolones (FQ) (MIC 50 and 90: 0.06-0.5 mu g/ml); like for other FQ , this activity was reduced against NAL intermediate and resistant (R) Enterobacteriaceae (2-16). MICs of SFX against P. aeruginosa were bet ween 0.12 and 16 (1-32). SFX had also a good activity against NAL-S A. baumannii (CMI less than or equal to 0.25) but this activity is reduc ed against NAL-R Acinetobacter (16). SFX was highly active against Hae mophilus (0.016-0.06) gonococci (0.008), meningococci (0.008) and B. c atarrhalis (0.008-0.03). SFX showed activity superior to the currently available FQ against methicillin susceptible staphylococci (0.06); th e resistant strains [8] are usually methicillin resistant. SFX is more effective against enterococci (0.5), streptococci (0.25-0.5) and part icularly pneumococci (0.25-0.5) including penicillin-resistant strains . The coefficient correlation of the regression curve is 0.876; for MI C breakpoints of 1 and 2 mu g/ml, zone diameter breakpoints should be 20 and 16 mm.