[In vitro action of moxalactam on hospital bacteria. Results of a multicenter survey].

The high potency of Moxalactam on three major groups of bacteria, i.e. Enterobacteriae, Haemophilus and Bacteroïdes, predicted by previous studies, has been confirmed by the study of hospital strains in this multicenter investigation. Among these groups, the proportion of resistant strains is very low. However, Moxalactam is not superior to older agents on staphylococci, Streptococci and Listeria, and is less active than certain new agents on Pseudomonas. Moxalactam is one of the best "third generation" cephalosporins. It is remarkable by its potency against Bacteroides fragilis and its weak activity on Streptococci and Pneumococci. The unanswered question concerns the future of resistant strains: will they remain exceptional or will they multiply?