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Susceptibility of gram-negative bacteria andStaphylococcus aureus to combinations of ticarcillin and clavulanic acid

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Abstract

Four hundred and fifty-nine blood culture isolates were tested for susceptibility to ticarcillin alone and ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid, a potentβ-lactamase inhibitor. The susceptibilities of theStaphylococcus aureus strains to cloxacillin, methicillin, vancomycin, rifampicin, cefoperazone, ceftriaxone and moxalactam and of the gram-negative strains to Augmentin, azlocillin, mezlocillin, piperacillin, cefoperazone, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, cefsulodin and tobramycin were also measured. Seventy-one percent of staphylococcal strains were (β-lactamase positive. In the presence of clavulanic acid the ticarcillin spectrum was extended to includeβ-lactamase producingStaphylococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens andKlebsiella. All the ticarcillin-resistantEnterobacteriaceae were rendered ticarcillin-sensitive by clavulanic acid. The anti-Pseudomonas activity of ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid differed little from that of azlocillin and piperacillin and was comparable to that of the third generation cephalosporins. The combination of ticarcillin with clavulanic acid should be tested in the treatment of patients with infections caused by ticarcillin-sensitive and ticarcillin-resistant bacteria.

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  1. Division des Maladies Infectieuses, Department de Médecine, Hôpital Cantonal Universitaire, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    P. Casey & M. Glauser

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  1. P. Casey
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  2. M. Glauser
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Casey, P., Glauser, M. Susceptibility of gram-negative bacteria andStaphylococcus aureus to combinations of ticarcillin and clavulanic acid. Eur. J, Clin. Microbiol. 2, 541–547 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02016562

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