Clinical trial of cefoxitin (mefoxin) in parenteral therapy of septicemia (postabortal and postpartum) in Ibadan.

Cases of post-abortal sepsis are admitted every day into the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria. This derives from the high incidence of induced (illegal) abortions in this environment. The infections are usually caused by mixed bacterial flora, often resistant to the common antibiotics because of the indiscriminate use of these drugs. Any new drug that can be effective in the treatment of these resistant cases will be welcome. The efficacy of Cefoxitin in the treatment of twenty-five cases of postabortal sepsis was therefore compared with the efficiency of other antibiotics in the management of sixty other cases. Response to Cefoxitin was prompt. Temperatures settled within 96 h and no case of pelvic abscess resulted. It was concluded that Cefoxitin could well be a safe and effective alternative antibiotic to replace the common antibiotics to which many hospital organisms have developed resistance.