In vitro activities of tinidazole and metronidazole against Clostridium difficile, Prevotella bivia and Bacteroides fragilis.

Tinidazole, a 5-nitroimidazole similar to metronidazole, was studied against 40 Clostridium difficile, 10 Prevotella bivia and 11 Bacteroides fragilis clinical isolates. The geometric mean MICs of tinidazole and metronidazole were, respectively: C. difficile, 0.31 and 0.28 microg/mL; P. bivia, 2.33 and 1.52 microg/mL; B. fragilis, 0.5 and 0.71 microg/mL.

In vitro activities of ramoplanin, teicoplanin, vancomycin, linezolid, bacitracin, and four other antimicrobials against intestinal anaerobic bacteria.

By using an agar dilution method, the in vitro activities of ramoplanin, teicoplanin, vancomycin, linezolid, and five other agents were determined against 300 gram-positive and 54 gram-negative strains of intestinal anaerobes. Ramoplanin was active at or=256 microg/ml. Ramoplanin displays excellent activity against C. difficile and other gram-positive enteric anaerobes, including vancomycin-resistant strains; however, it has poor activity against most gram-negative anaerobes and thus potentially has a lesser effect on the ecological balance of normal fecal flora.

Bacteriology of human bite wound infections.

This study was designed to define the bacteriology of infected soft-tissue wounds from human bites, and to compare this with the bacteriology of infected animal bites in humans as determined in previous studies. The specimens were collected from 57 patients presenting to emergency rooms at 12 locations around the country. Three hundred and eighty organisms were isolated (224 aerobes and 156 anaerobes), for an average of 6.6 per specimen. The most prevalent anaerobes recovered were Prevotella spp. (34%), while streptococci comprised 44% of all aerobic organisms, over half of which were in the "Streptococcus milleri" group, particularly S. anginosus. The study demonstrated that the pathogens in human bite infections differ considerably from those present in animal bites.

Comparative in vitro activity of ertapenem and 11 other antimicrobial agents against aerobic and anaerobic pathogens isolated from skin and soft tissue animal and human bite wound infections.

We studied the comparative in vitro activity of ertapenem, a new carbapenem, against 240 aerobic and 180 anaerobic recent clinical bite isolates using an agar dilution method and an inoculum of 10(4) cfu/spot for aerobes and 10(5) cfu/spot for anaerobes. Ertapenem inhibited 410/420 (98%) of the isolates tested at < or = 4 mg/L with only 4/5 Campylobacter gracilis and 1/3 Campylobacter rectus strains requiring . or = 16 mg/L for inhibition. Ertapenem was only moderately active (MIC 8 mg/L) against 4/6 Enterococcus faecalis and 1/11 Staphylococcus epidermidis strains. All Pasteurella multocida, Pasteurella septica, Pasteurella canis, Pasteurella dagmatis, Moraxella spp. and EF-4 isolates were inhibited at < or = 0.015 mg/L. MIC(90)s for other aerobic genera and species were as follows: Corynebacterium spp., 4 mg/L; Staphylococcus aureus, 0.25 mg/L; Staphylococcus epidermidis, 4 mg/L; other coagulasenegative staphylococci, 0.25 mg/L; Streptococcus milleri group, 0.5 mg/L; Eikenella corrodens, 0.03 mg/L; and Bergeyella zoohelcum, 0.5 mg/L. For anaerobes the range of MICs and MIC(90)s were: Prevotella ssp., < or = 0.015-0.5, 0.125 mg/L; Porphyromonas spp., < or = 0.015-0.03, 0.015 mg/L; Fusobacterium spp., 0.015-0.125, 0.03 mg/L; Bacteroides tectum, 0.03-0.125, 0.125 mg/L; and Peptostreptococcus spp., 0.01-2, 1 mg/L. Ertapenem showed excellent potency against the full range of animal and human bite wound pathogens.

Survival of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in purulent clinical specimens maintained in the Copan Venturi Transystem and Becton Dickinson Port-a-Cul transport systems.

Recovery of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria from clinical specimens maintained in the Copan Venturi Transystem and the Becton Dickinson Port-a-Cul transport was assessed. Of 54 anaerobes, 53 were recovered after 4 h, and 52 were recovered after 24 h, from both systems. After 48 h, 45 and 50 were recovered from the two systems, respectively.