In vitro efficacy of sulbactam combined with ampicillin against anaerobic bacteria

Abstract

An ampicilEn-sulbactakn combination was conipared with ampicillin alone, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, and metronidazoDe against 272 strains of anaerobic bacteria. Chloramphenicol and ampicillin-sulbactam were the most effective, inhibiting 98 to 99% of strains tested at breakpoint (16 pg/ml). The combination of sulbactam and ampicillin was much more effective than ampiciflin alone against Bacteroidesfragilis strains but did not differ substantially from ampicillin alone against Fusobactetium spp., gram-positive rods, and gram-positive cocci.,-Lactamase production is a major mechanism of resistance to P-lactam antibiotics among many anaerobes, and the prospect of comnbined treatment with a ,B-lactamase inhibitor and a P-lactamase-susceptible antibiotic is an attractive one.Various~-lactamase inhibitors, including sulbactam, clavulanic acid, and UK-38006 have been introduced and tested in vitro (2,6,12,14) and in clinical trials (11,13

Antibiotic sensitivity of theBacteroides fragilisgroup in Denmark

“…Combination with the beta-lactamase inhibitor sulbactam demonstrated a marked reduction in the MICs, resulting in only 1% resistant strains. Similar results have been shown by others (14,21).…”

A comparison of procaine penicillin with sulbactam-ampicillin in the treatment of peritonsillar abscesses

“…By preventing β-lactamase degradation of ampicillin, it restores an organism's previous susceptibility to the antibiotic [3,6,19]. In previous studies, the combination of sulbactam and ampicillin has been much more effective than ampicillin alone, especially in treating strains of B. fragilis [18]. Sulbactam also enhances the antimicrobial activity of several β-lactam antibiotics against both β-lactamase-positive and β-lactamase-negative bacteria by binding to penicillin-binding proteins [10].…”