Comparative in vitro activity of cefpodoxime against anaerobes other than bacteroides fragilis

To assess thein vitro activity of cefpodoxime against anaerobic respiratory tract and oropharyngeal pathogens 77 strains belonging to 18 gram-negative and 7 gram-positive species were studied by means of agar dilution tests. For comparison cefuroxime, amoxicillin, amoxicillin + clavulanic acid and clindamycin were also tested. Cefpodoxime was found to be active at concentrations of ≤ 0.125 mg/l againstPrevotella oralis, Prevotella buccalis, Prevotella bivia, Porphyromonas asaccharolytica, Bacteroides corporis, Bacteroides gracilis, Fusobacterium necrophorum, Fusobacterium naviforme andPropionibacterium acnes. Prevotella oris, Prevotella buccae, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Peptostreptococcus asacharolyticus, andRuminococcus bromii were inhibited at concentrations of ≤ 1 mg/l andPrevotella denticola, Prevotella melaninogenica, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Bacteroides pneumosintes, andPeptostreptococcus micros at concentrations of ≤ 4 mg/l. Strains ofVeillonella parvula were inhibited by cefpodoxime at 0.25 – 8 mg/l, and single strains ofPeptostreptococcus anaerobius andPetostreptococcus magnus showed MICs of 32 and 64 mg/l, respectively. The results obtained warrant the use of cefpodoxime in therapy of anaerobic and mixed aerobic-anaerobic infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract and similar infections not involvingBacteroides fragilis.