[Potential value of the amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination in general medicine, gynecology-obstetrics and pediatrics departments].

This study compares the probability of in vitro activity of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination (AMOX-CLA) with those of amoxicillin (AMOX), cephalothin (CEPH), cotrimoxazole (COT) and nalidixic acid (NAL) on the 2 003 strains isolated during the first semester of 1983 in 5 wards of medicine (MED), 2 of gynecology-obstetrics (GYN) and 1 of pediatrics (PED) at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. As expected, AMOX-CLA was active on most of the strains of S. aureus, E. coli, P. mirabilis, Klebsiella and Bacteroides resistant to AMOX. AMOX-CLA was active on 70 to 86% of all strains, a higher rate than that of AMOX in all situations taken in concert. AMOX-CLA was more often active than AMOX on urinary strains by 17% in MED and GYN, 26% in neonates and 37% in children; it was more often active by 16% on strains isolated from the genital tract and from specimens taken at birth, and by 43% on strains isolated from pus. AMOX-CLA showed the same activity rate as CEPH whatever the infection and was as often active as COT and NAL on urinary strains in MED. On the opposite, activity rates of AMOX-CLA were lower by 6 to 15% than those of COT and NAL on urinary strains in GYN and PED of COT on strains isolated from pus in MED, GYN and PED. Therefore, AMOX-CLA was superior to AMOX in every case, and comparable to CEPH and often COT and NAL, whose use is restricted in pregnant women and neonates owing to side effects.