Table 3.
Microbiologic blood culture results and initial antibiotics use among patients with severe sepsis
| Microbiological results of blood cultures | n = 560 |
| Gram-negative | |
| E. coli | 182 (32.5) |
| Klebsiella | 72 (12.9) |
| Pseudomonas | 16 (2.9) |
| Gram-positive | |
| Staphylococci | 91 (16.3) |
| Streptococci | 109 (19.5) |
| MRSA | 16 (2.9) |
| Enterococcus | 25 (4.5) |
| Anaerobic | 24 (4.3) |
| Fungi | 14 (2.5) |
| Antibiotics | n = 1140 |
| Penicillin derivative (PCG, ABPC, ABPC/MCIPC) | 30 (2.6) |
| Ampicillin/sulbactam | 78 (6.8) |
| PIPC/TAZ | 238 (20.9) |
| Sulbactam/cefoperazone | 11 (1.0) |
| First-generation cephalosporin | 28 (2.5) |
| Second-generation cephalosporin (CTM, CMZ, FMOX) | 32 (2.8) |
| Third-generation cephalosporin (CTX, CPZ, CTRX) | 99 (8.7) |
| Third-generation cephalosporin against pseudomonas | 4 (0.4) |
| Fourth generation cephalosporin against pseudomonas | 26 (2.3) |
| Carbapenem | 627 (55.0) |
| Aminoglycoside | 8 (0.7) |
| Quinolone | 19 (1.7) |
| Tetracycline | 7 (0.6) |
| Macrolide | – |
| Metronidazole | 12 (1.1) |
| CLDM | 48 (4.2) |
| Vancomycin | 203 (17.8) |
| Other anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus drugs | 67 (5.9) |
| Antifungals | 50 (4.4) |
| Others | 83 (7.3) |
Reported counts (proportions). Missing data: microbiology data = 76, antibiotics = 44. There was no intravenous macrolide during the study period in Japan
PCG penicillin G, ABPC ampicillin, ABPC/MCIPC ampicillin/cloxacillin, PIPC/TAZ tazobactam/piperacillin, CTM cefotiam, CMZ cefmetazole, FMOX flomoxef, CTX cefotaxime, CPZ cefoperazone, CTRX ceftriaxone, CLDM clindamycin, CNS central nervous system