Comparative in vitro activity of temocillin.

The antibacterial activity of temocillin, a novel beta-lactam antibiotic, was tested against 796 clinical isolates. We also conducted a comparative study against 8 other antibiotics. Temocillin exhibited good activity against Gram-negative organisms including Escherichia coli, and the genera Proteus, Enterobacter, Serratia, Klebsiella, Citrobacter, Providencia, Salmonella, Shigella and Haemophilus: 98% of the strains were inhibited by concentrations less than or equal to 16 mg/L. The results of this in vitro study and temocillin's favourable pharmacokinetic properties suggest that temocillin is a very promising penicillin for the treatment of hospital infections caused by Gram-negative organisms.