Antimicrobial activity of imipenem against 1386 clinical isolates.

1386 isolates from clinical specimens were tested against imipenem by disc agar diffusion. The bacteria used in this study consisted of Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, E. agglomerans, E. cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, K. oxytoca, K. ozanae, Proteus mirabilis, P. vulgaris, Providencia stuartii, P. rettgeri, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Citrobacter diversus, C. freundii, Morganella morganii, Serratia liquefaciens, S. marcescens, Hafnia alvei, Aeromonas hydrophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. cepacia, P. maltophila, P. fluorescens, Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, S. saprophyticus, pneumococcus, Lancefield group A, B and D streptococci, viridans streptococci, diphtheroids and Bacillus species. In vitro activity of imipenem was compared with the following antibiotics: ampicillin, amikacin, carbenicillin, cefoperazone, cefoxitin, cephalothin, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, colistin, erythromycin, gentamicin, methicillin, penicillin, tetracycline, tobramycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and vancomycin. Of the 819 strains of Enterobacteriaceae tested, 99.5% were susceptible to imipenem. Ninety-seven percent strains of P. aeruginosa were also susceptible to imipenem. All the 161 isolates of S. aureus and 116 of the 117 isolates of enterococci exhibited in vitro susceptibility to this antibiotic. All gram positive bacteria tested were inhibited by imipenem except 28% isolates of S. epidermidis and 5% isolates of S. agalactiae.