Antimicrobial activities of cefoperazone-sulbactam in comparison to cefoperazone against clinical organisms from medical centers in Taiwan

Background: The multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDRGNBs) have emerged as important pathogens recently. Cefoperazone-sulbactam is active against a great proportion of those MDRGNBs. However, the susceptibilities data of cefoperazone-sulbactam are lacking in Taiwan. Object: This study was conducted to evaluate the susceptibilities data of cefoperazone-sulbactam aganist commonly encountered clinical pathogens in Taiwan. Materials and Methods: 2272 isolates were collected from various clinical specimens from five centers in Taiwan in 2012. The agar dilution method was used to evaluate the susceptibility of the isolated pathogens to cefoperazone and cefoperazone-sulbactam. Result: cefoperazone-sulbactam showed better activity against various GNBs, including MDRGNBs and part of carbapenem-resistant isolates tested compared to cefoperazone alone. Conclusion: Cefoperazone-sulbactam is active against most commonly encountered clinical pathogens, including MDRGNBs and part of carbapenem-esistant A. baumannii complex. It can be a potentially therapeutic agent for treating infections caused by these pathogens in Taiwan.