Comparative in vitro activity of cefodizime and other antibiotics against pathogens recently isolated in Italy.

In the present study we tested the susceptibility to cefodizime on 1,985 selected nosocomial pathogens isolated in five laboratories. Moreover, we evaluated the epidemiology of the resistance of the tested strains to cefodizime and to other antibiotics clinically available in Italy. The susceptibility to cefodizime was determined with both MIC (microdilution method) and the agar diffusion method (Kirby-Bauer). The Kirby-Bauer method was used to compare the antibiotics. Cefodizime was equivalent in activity to ceftazidime and ceftriaxone and was more active than piperacillin and amoxicillin + clavulanic acid. The activity of gentamicin (where tested) was generally comparable to that of cefodizime; ciprofloxacin had lower percentages of resistance against some species of Enterobacteriaceae and staphylococci.