COMPARATIVE IN-VITRO ACTIVITIES OF AZITHROMYCIN, BAY-Y-3118, LEVOFLOXACIN, SPARFLOXACIN, AND 11 OTHER ORAL ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AGAINST 194 AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC BITE WOUND ISOLATES

The activities of sparfloxacin, levofloxacin, Bay y 3118, azithromycin, cefprozil, loracarbef, and nine other oral antimicrobial agents against 194 aerobic and anaerobic clinical bite wound isolates were determined by the agar dilution method. Sparfloxacin, levofloxacin, and Bay y 3118 were active against all aerobic isolates (MICs at which 90% of the isolates are inhibited [MIC(90)], less than or equal to 1.0 mu g/ml for sparfloxacin and levofloxacin and 0.1 mu g/ml for Bay y 3118) and many anaerobic isolates, with the exception of the fusobacteria. Azithromycin was more active than erythromycin by 1 to 2 dilutions against many aerobes, including Pasteurella multocida and Eikenella corrodens, and by 2 to 4 dilutions against anaerobic isolates. Cefprozil was more active (MIC(90), less than or equal to 1 mu g/ml) than loracarbef (MIC(90) less than or equal to 4 mu g/ml) against aerobic gram positive isolates, but both had poor activity (MIC(90), greater than or equal to 16 mu g/ml) against peptostreptococci. Both cefprozil and loracarbef had MIC(90)s of less than or equal to 0.5 mu g/ml against P. multocida.