In-vitro activity of temafloxacin against anaerobic bacteria: a comparative study

Abstract

The antimicrobial activity of temafloxacin for 328 anaerobic bacteria was determined and compared to that of cefotetan, cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin and metronidazole. The Wadsworth agar dilution technique using Brucella-lysed sheep blood agar was used throughout. At the recommended breakpoint concentration 4 mg/L, temafloxacin inhibited 60/62 (97%) of the isolates of Bacteroides fragilis and 82/87 (94%) of the isolates of other species of the B. fragilis group. Ninety-six percent of the 24 isolates of Peptostreptococcus, 97% of the 31 isolates of other Bacteroides species and 88% of 66 isolates of Fusobacterium species were also inhibited by 4 mg/L temafloxacin. Metronidazole (breakpoint 16 mg/L) had a broader spectrum of activity than temafloxacin (judged by the percentage of strains tested susceptible at the breakpoints employed) with the exception of non-sporing Gram-positive bacilli. The cephalosporins tested (breakpoint 32 mg/L) had a narrower spectrum of activity. Ciprofloxacin (breakpoint 2 mg/L) was the least effective agent against the majority of the anaerobes tested.