IN-VITRO ACTIVITY OF CEFPODOXIME COMPARED WITH OTHER ORAL CEPHALOSPORINS TESTED AGAINST 5556 RECENT CLINICAL ISOLATES FROM 5 MEDICAL-CENTERS

A multicenter study was conducted in which the in vitro activity of ce fpodoxime (the active metabolite of the prodrug ester cefpodoxime prox etil) was compared with those of cefixime, cefuroxime, cefaclor, cefad roxil, and clarithromycin against 5556 recent clinical isolates. Cefpo doxime demonstrated potent activity against members of the Enterobacte riaceae, in particular against species generally resistant to the esta blished oral cephalosporins such as Proteus vulgaris [minimum inhibito ry concentration (MIC)50, 0.12 mug/ml], Providencia rettgeri (MIC50, 0 .015 mug/ml), and Serratia marcescens (MIC50, 2 mug/ml). Cefpodoxime w as very effective against the fastidious organisms most frequently ass ociated with respiratory infections, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae (MIC90, 0.12 mug/ml), Haemophilus influenzae (MIC90, 0.12 mug/ml), and Moraxella catarrhalis (MIC90, 1 mug/ml). In contrast to other orally administrated third-generation cephalosporins (cefixime or ceftibuten) , cefpodoxime demonstrated reasonable activity against oxacillin-susce ptible staphylococci, with MIC90 ranging from 1 to 2 mug/ml. All cepha losporins tested demonstrated poor activity against Pseudomonas spp., Xanthomonas spp., Enterococcus spp., and oxacillin-resistant staphyloc occi. Cefpodoxime had the widest spectrum of activity of all tested or al cephalosporins.