[Basic study on efficacy of cefmetazole against osseous and articular infections (author's transl)].

In order to evaluate the efficacy of cefmetazole (CMZ) against osseous and articular infections fundamentally, the sensitivity of clinically isolated strains of Staphylococcus aureus to the drug and its concentration in serum and bone marrow of tibia were determined. 1. The clinically isolated strains of S. aureus was found to be sensitive to 0.78 microgram-6.25 micrograms CMZ per milliliter when inoculated at 10(6) cells/ml and to 0.78 microgram-12.5 micrograms CMZ per milliliter when inoculated at 10(8) cells/ml. No strains were resistant to CMZ. 2. One gram of CMZ was injected intramuscularly before operation. Blood samples were collected from the bone marrow and the vein and measured for the concentration of CMZ. The mean concentration in the bone marrow of tibia were 30.5 microgram/ml, 16.8 micrograms/ml and 8.9 micrograms/ml 1, 2, and 3 hours later, respectively, and the mean transfer rate from serum to bone marrow was 104.8, 92.8 and 101.1% respectively. 3. CMZ concentration in bone marrow of tibia attained following an intramuscular injection of 1 g of CMZ were higher than the MIC values for most of the clinically isolated strains of S. aureus, suggesting the effectiveness of CMZ in clinical practice.