Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1981 Aug;20(2):239–243. doi: 10.1128/aac.20.2.239

Comparative in vitro synergistic activity of new beta-lactam antimicrobial agents and amikacin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens.

T O Kurtz, D J Winston, D A Bruckner, W J Martin
PMCID: PMC181670  PMID: 6792982

Abstract

The in vitro synergistic activities of moxalactam, cefoperazone, or cefotaxime in combination with amikacin or piperacillin were compared against aminoglycoside-susceptible and aminoglycoside-resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens by the checkerboard agar dilution method. All antimicrobial combinations demonstrated some synergy, and no antagonism was observed. Moxalactam plus amikacin and piperacillin plus amikacin were most frequently synergistic (two-thirds of the isolates inhibited synergistically by each combination), whereas combinations of moxalactam, cefotaxime, or cefoperazone with piperacillin were synergistic against only 18 to 25% of the isolates. Moxalactam plus amikacin was the combination most often synergistic for amikacin-susceptible P. aeruginosa, and piperacillin plus amikacin was the combination most frequently synergistic for amikacin-resistant P. aeruginosa and amikacin-susceptible S. marcescens. These results demonstrate frequent in vitro synergistic activity between the new beta-lactam agents and amikacin (especially moxalactam or piperacillin with amikacin), but comparative clinical trials are needed to establish the relative efficacy and toxicity of these combinations.

Full text

PDF
239

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson E. T., Young L. S., Hewitt W. L. Antimicrobial synergism in the therapy of gram-negative rod bacteremia. Chemotherapy. 1978;24(1):45–54. doi: 10.1159/000237759. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Fu K. P., Neu H. C. The comparative synergistic activity of amikacin, gentamicin, netilmicin and azlocillin, mezlocillin, carbenicillin and ticarcillin against Serratia marcescens. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 1978 Feb;31(2):135–140. doi: 10.7164/antibiotics.31.135. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hall W. H., Opfer B. J., Gerding D. N. Comparative activities of the oxa-beta-lactam LY127935, cefotaxime, cefoperazone, cefamandole, and ticarcillin against multiply resistant gram-negative bacilli. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1980 Feb;17(2):273–279. doi: 10.1128/aac.17.2.273. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Klastersky J., Meunier-Carpentier F., Prevost J. M. Significance of antimicrobial synergism for the outcome of gram negative sepsis. Am J Med Sci. 1977 Mar-Apr;273(2):157–167. doi: 10.1097/00000441-197703000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Kurtz T. O., Winston D. J., Hindler J. A., Young L. S., Hewitt W. L., Martin W. J. Comparative in vitro activity of moxalactam, cefotaxime, cefoperazone, piperacillin, and aminoglycosides against gram-negative bacilli. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1980 Oct;18(4):645–648. doi: 10.1128/aac.18.4.645. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Lang S. D., Edwards D. J., Durack D. T. Comparison of cefoperazone, cefotaxime, and moxalactam (LY127935) against aerobic gram-negative bacilli. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1980 Mar;17(3):488–493. doi: 10.1128/aac.17.3.488. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Lau W. K., Young L. S., Black R. E., Winston D. J., Linne S. R., Weinstein R. J., Hewitt W. L. Comparative efficacy and toxicity of amikacin/carbenicillin versus gentamicin/carbenicillin in leukopenic patients: a randomized prospective trail. Am J Med. 1977 Jun;62(6):959–966. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(77)90669-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lin M. Y., Tuazon C. U., Sheagren J. N. Synergism of aminoglycosides and carbenicillin against resistant strains of Serratia marcescens. J Antimicrob Chemother. 1979 Jan;5(1):37–44. doi: 10.1093/jac/5.1.37. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Love L. J., Schimpff S. C., Hahn D. M., Young V. M., Standiford H. C., Bender J. F., Fortner C. L., Wiernik P. H. Randomized trial of empiric antibiotic therapy with ticarcillin in combination with gentamicin, amikacin or netilmicin in febrile patients with granulocytopenia and cancer. Am J Med. 1979 Apr;66(4):603–610. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(79)91170-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lumish R. M., Norden C. W. Therapy of neutropenic rats infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Infect Dis. 1976 May;133(5):538–547. doi: 10.1093/infdis/133.5.538. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Meyer R. D., Lewis R. P., Halter J., White M. Gentamicin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens in a general hospital. Lancet. 1976 Mar 13;1(7959):580–583. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(76)90370-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Neu H. C., Aswapokee N., Fu K. P., Aswapokee P. Antibacterial activity of a new 1-oxa cephalosporin compared with that of other beta-lactam compounds. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1979 Aug;16(2):141–149. doi: 10.1128/aac.16.2.141. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ruben F. L., Norden C. W., Hruska E. Factors associated with acquisition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to gentamicin. Am J Med Sci. 1978 Mar-Apr;275(2):173–179. doi: 10.1097/00000441-197803000-00007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Schaberg D. R., Alford R. H., Anderson R., Farmer J. J., 3rd, Melly M. A., Schaffner W. An outbreak of nosocomial infection due to multiply resistant Serratia marcescens: evidence of interhospital spread. J Infect Dis. 1976 Aug;134(2):181–188. doi: 10.1093/infdis/134.2.181. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Scott R. E., Robson H. G. Synergistic activity of carbenicillin and gentamicin in experimental Pseudomonas bacteremia in neutropenic rats. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1976 Oct;10(4):646–651. doi: 10.1128/aac.10.4.646. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Wade J. C., Smith C. R., Petty B. G., Lipsky J. J., Conrad G., Ellner J., Lietman P. S. Cephalothin plus an aminoglycoside is more nephrotoxic than methicillin plus an aminoglycoside. Lancet. 1978 Sep 16;2(8090):604–606. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(78)92825-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Weinstein R. J., Young L. S., Hewitt W. L. Comparison of methods for assessing in vitro antibiotic synergism against Pseudomonas and Serratia. J Lab Clin Med. 1975 Nov;86(5):853–862. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Winston D. J., Wang D., Young L. S., Martin W. J., Hewitt W. L. In vitro studies of piperacilin, a new semisynthetic penicillin. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1978 Jun;13(6):944–950. doi: 10.1128/aac.13.6.944. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Yu V. L., Vickers R. M., Zuravleff J. J. Comparative susceptibilities of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to 1-oxacephalosporin (LY 127935) and eight other antipseudomonal antimicrobial agents (old and new). Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1980 Jan;17(1):96–98. doi: 10.1128/aac.17.1.96. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES