Antimicrobial activity of FK-037, a new broad-spectrum cephalosporin international in vitro comparison with cefepime and ceftazidime

Abstract

The in vitro activity of FK-037, a new parenteral 7-aminothiazolyl-methoxyimino cephalosporin, was compared with cefepime and ceftazidime against 6094 aerobic isolates collected in six medical centers worldwide. FK-037 demonstrated potent activity against the Enterobacteriaceae family except for some Enterobacter spp., Providencia spp., and Serratia liquefaciens (MIC 90s, ⩾16 μg/ml). Against nonenteric Gram-negative bacilli, all compounds tested showed similar, but more limited activity. The FK-037 MIC 50s for Pseudomonas spp. and P. aeruginosa were 2 and 4 μg/ml, respectively. The least susceptible organisms were Xanthomonas maltophilia, enterococci, and Bacillus spp. (MIC 50s, >16 μg/ml), followed by Flavobacterium spp., other nonenterics, and oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MIC 50s, 16 μg/ml). Good FK-037 activity was observed against oxacillin-susceptible staphylococci as well as against β-hemolytic and viridans-group streptococci (MIC 90 range, ⩽0.12 to 2 μg/ml). While FK-037 was slightly more active than cefepime against Gram-positive organisms, enteric bacilli were most susceptible to cefepime. Overall, the antibacterial spectrum of both FK-037 and cefepime was superior to ceftazidime.