Abstract
Combinations of clavulanic acid, a new β‐lactamase inhibitor, with five cephalosporins and one cephamycin were tested against cell‐free β‐lactamases obtained from Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and an Enterobacter strain, 265A. Cefotaxime was the most resistant antibiotic and cephalothin the most sensitive antibiotic to β‐lactamases. Low concentrations of clavulanic acid gave some protection against the Serratia and Pseudomonas enzymes. The most active source of β‐lactamase was the 265A strain, against which only cefotaxime was highly resistant. Clavulanic acid had only a slight inhibitory effect on this enzyme, which was confirmed by an agar method, and potentiated slightly the activity of cephalothin and cefoxitin against two β‐lactamase producing strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Lysis by cephalothin of one strain of S. marcescens was potentiated in the presence of clavulanic acid.
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