Comparative efficacy of ceftriaxone in experimental infections involving Bacteroides fragilis and Escherichia coli.

The in vivo activity of ceftriaxone was examined in an experimentally induced subcutaneous infection involving Bacteroides fragilis and Escherichia coli. Mice were challenged with 1 of 10 strains of B. fragilis or E. coli, or a dual combination of the two species. The efficacy was measured by a reduction in the count of viable organisms when antimicrobial treatment was initiated 1 h after challenge and continued for 5 days. Ceftriaxone exhibited impressive activity against E. coli but showed poor in vivo activity versus B. fragilis. The antimicrobial activity of ceftriaxone was influenced by the microbial interaction in our dual-isolate model. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that ceftriaxone penetrated into abscesses and achieved peak levels of about 40% of the peak serum levels. However, in abscesses infected with B. fragilis nearly all biological activity of ceftriaxone was lost.