In vitro activity of meropenem against common pathogenic bacteria isolatedin Taiwan

The in vitro antimicrobial activity of meropenem, in comparison with nine o ther antimicrobial agents, against 12 different common pathogenic bacteria were evaluated to know the susceptibility of common bacteria to meropenem i n Taiwan. Meropenem was active against most Gram-positive, Gram-negative, a nd anaerobic bacteria, including methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureu s, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coil, Klebsie lla pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia, Acinetobacter baumannii, Haemophilus influenzae, and Bacteroides f ragilis. For many of them, meropenem was the most active one in comparison with other broad-spectrum cephalosporins, aztreonam, imipenem, and ciproflo xacin. It is concluded that meropenem is a very active agent against most c ommon pathogenic bacteria. It is uncommon for these common bacteria, except MRSA and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, to be resistant to meropenem in Tai wan, where a high prevalence of resistance to other antimicrobial agents wa s found in many of the common bacteria. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.