Comparative activities of cefuroxime, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, and ofloxacin against aerobic and anaerobic bacteria isolated from bite wounds.

We studied the comparative in vitro activities of 10 oral antimicrobial agents against 147 aerobic and 61 anaerobic bacteria making up species in 13 genera (Staphylococcus aureus, streptococci, Eikenella corrodens, Pasteurella multocida, Haemophilus-Actinobacillus spp., M-5, EF-4, Moraxella spp., Flavobacterium IIb, Bacteroides melaninogenicus, Bacteroides spp., Fusobacterium spp., and Peptostreptococcus spp.) that were isolated from bite wounds. Cefuroxime was generally greater than fourfold more active than cephalexin and cefadroxil against all aerobic isolates, including Pasteurella multocida. The fluoroquinolones were highly active against most aerobic isolates but were less active against anaerobic isolates. Ciprofloxacin was generally more active than either enoxacin or ofloxacin. Discrepancies of greater than 30% in the interpretation of susceptibilities between break points suggested by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards and those related to oral dose peak levels (one-half to one-quarter of maximum achievable concentrations) were noted in 14% (18 of 130) of the instances.