Ceftazidime, a broad spectrum cephalosporin with activity against Ps. aeruginosa.

Ceftazidime is one of the oximinoaminothiazolyl cephalosporins with resistance to most B-lactamases from gram-negative bacteria, and a very wide spectrum of activity including Ps. aeruginosa. MIC's of less than 0.1 mg/l are seen routinely against E. coli, K. pneumoniae, E. cloacae, Proteus spp. both indole positive and negative, Serratia sp., and Providence sp. The mean MIC against clinical isolates of Ps. aeruginosa is less than 2 mg/l. It is bactericidal at concentrations close to the MIC and its activity is unimpaired in the presence of serum. Ceftazidime is well distributed in the body, penetrating into all body fluids at concentrations excess of the MIC's of most pathogenic bacteria. It has a half-life of about 1.5 hours, is excreted almost exclusively by the kidney and is not bound to serum proteins. More than 12,000 patients have now been treated with the antibiotic, with an overall success rate of more than 93%.