Comparative clinical study of cefonicid, chloramphenicol, and penicillin in community-acquired pneumonia.

Community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most common infectious conditions that require hospitalization. When intravenous treatment is indicated, cefonicid is usually the drug of choice. The aim of this study was to find out if chloramphenicol, which is superior to the standard drugs from a financial point of view, could serve as an equally efficient treatment, especially in the elderly. The outcomes of 3 pneumonia patient groups who were either treated with cefonicid, chloramphenicol or penicillin-G (n = 59, 17, 24, respectively) were retrospectively compared. Data about demographic characteristics of the patients, clinical outcomes, rehospitalization rates, duration of improvement/treatment/ hospitalization and clinical laboratory tests were obtained from each patient's medical records. Only minor differences (even though occasionally significant) were found with respect to rehospitalization and improvement rates, duration of hospitalization, treatment and improvement, death rates and clinical laboratory tests. However, chloramphenicol patients were found to be significantly older than cefonicid patients. Moreover, no bone-marrow suppression was associated with chloramphenicol treatment. All 3 drugs tested seem to have the same efficacy. We conclude that since chloramphenicol is as safe as, and much cheaper than cefonicid, this antibiotic agent is not inferior to the others, its usage in older patients with pneumonia should be considered.

[Adverse reaction to cefonicid analogous to serum sickness]. / Reacción adversa al cefonicid análoga a la enfermedad del suero.

We report a case of a male who was treated with cephonicid because of a surgical complication. Serum-sickness like symptoms were diagnosed two weeks later. Medical references are discussed.

Preventive antibiotic usage in traumatic thoracic injuries requiring closed tube thoracostomy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of antibiotics in reducing the infectious complications following closed tube thoracostomy for isolated chest trauma. DESIGN: Double-blind, randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Medical school affiliated large urban teaching hospital and trauma center. PATIENTS: One hundred nineteen of 159 patients over 18 years old presenting to the emergency department requiring closed tube thoracostomy for isolated chest injuries (113 penetrating, 6 blunt). INTERVENTION: Patients received either placebo or 1 g cefonicid daily intravenously started at chest tube insertion and stopped within 24 h of removal. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The development of wound infections, pneumonia (CDC criteria), or empyema; the incidence of adverse events; length of hospitalization. One nonspecific infection was seen in the cefonicid group (1.6 percent) and six respiratory tract infections (10.7 percent) in the placebo group (three empyema, one empyema with pneumonia, two pneumonia) (p = 0.0505; p = 0.0094 [excluding nonspecific infection]). No significant differences with antibiotic use were seen in the duration of chest tube use (p = 0.766), peak WBC counts (p = 0.108), lower peak temperatures (p = 0.063), or length of hospitalization (p = 0.165). Patients who developed infectious complications averaged approximately 8 days longer hospitalization than those without (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study showed that patients receiving antibiotics had a significantly reduced rate of infection than did patients administered placebo. No significant adverse events were seen in either group.

Delayed allergic reaction to cefonicid.

We report a case of delayed cutaneous reaction to intramuscular treatment with cefonicid, a second generation cephalosporin. An isolated late skin test response was observed to cefonicid only and not to other beta-lactams. A patch test with cefonicid 1% was positive after 48 and 96 hours.

Randomized trial comparing ceftriaxone with cefonicid for treatment of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhotic patients.

We compared cefonicid (2 g every 12 h) and ceftriaxone (2 g every 24 h) for their efficacy and safety in treating spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhotic patients in an open randomized clinical trial (30 patients in each group). Clinical, laboratory, and bacteriologic characteristics were similar in both groups. Ceftriaxone-susceptible strains were isolated on 44 occasions (94%), and cefonicid-susceptible strains were isolated on 43 occasions (91.5%). The antibiotic concentration in ascitic fluid/MIC ratio for ceftriaxone was > 100 throughout the dose interval (24 h), while it was lower for cefonicid (between 1 and 18). A total of 100% of patients treated with ceftriaxone, and 94% of those treated with cefonicid were cured of their infections (P was not significant). Hospitalization mortality was 37% in the cefonicid group and 30% in the ceftriaxone group (P was not significant). The time that elapsed between the initiation of treatment and the patient's death was shorter in the cefonicid group patients (5.3 +/- 3.90 days) than in the ceftriaxone group patients (11.8 +/- 9.15 days) (P < 0.05). None of the patients presented with superinfections, and only two patients treated with cefonicid and three patients treated with ceftriaxone developed colonizations with Enterococcus faecalis or Candida albicans. Ceftriaxone and cefonicid are safe and useful agents for treating cirrhotic spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, although the pharmacokinetic characteristics of ceftriaxone seem to be more advantageous than those of cefonicid.

Therapeutic efficacy and renal effects of cefonicid in the treatment of difficult urinary tract infections.

UNLABELLED: EFFICACY, renal effects and nephrotoxicity of the cephalosporin cefonicid (CEF) were evaluated in 11 adult patients with urinary tract infection and varying renal function (creatinine cl 19-161 ml/min, mean 75). CEF was administered i.m. for 7 days at a daily dose adjusted to renal function of the patients. EFFICACY: At the 4th day and at the end of the treatment urine cultures were negative in all cases; a recurrence of the infection was observed in 4 patients 10 days after completion of therapy. Renal effects and nephrotoxicity: CEF neither modified plasma creatinine, urea, uric acid and their renal clearances nor glomerular filtration rate. Only the urinary enzyme activity of alanine aminopeptidase increased slightly at the end of the therapy. It returned to basal values in the post-treatment period. Urinary enzyme activities of gamma-glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and lysozyme were unmodified during and after treatment with CEF. These results indicate that CEF is an effective antimicrobial agent which does not influence renal function, nor cause nephrotoxic effects.

[Disulfiram-like effect of cefonicid: first observation]. / Effetto disulfiram-simile da Cefonicid: prima segnalazione.

The disulfiram-like reaction is linked to the assumption of ethyl alcohol during therapy with the cephalosporin latamoxef, cefamandole and cefoperazone. The reaction is commonly ascribed to the methyl-thiotetrazole group, resembling part of the disulfiram molecule. We describe the case of a patient who experienced on two different occasions a disulfiram-like effect during therapy with cefonicid. This cephalosporin contains the methylsulphothiotetrazole group in place of the methylthiotetrazole group. Our observation is the first related to cefonicid.

A trial using early preoperative administration of cefonicid for antimicrobial prophylaxis with hysterectomies.

A single dose of cefonicid given 3.5-5.0 hours or 0.5-1.0 hour preoperatively was compared with cefoxitin given as five doses beginning 0.5-1.0 hour preoperatively for prophylaxis of infection in 202 patients undergoing vaginal or abdominal hysterectomy. The administration of cefonicid 3.5-5.0 hours preoperatively was intended to simulate situations where surgery may be delayed or prolonged. The trial was double-blind, and patients were randomized to one of the three regimens. Operative site infections were noted in 6.2 percent of patients (7/113) who received cefonicid 3.5-5.0 hours preoperatively, in 7.0 percent of patients (3/43) who received cefonicid 0.5-1.0 hour preoperatively, and in 4.3 percent of patients (2/46) who received cefoxitin (p greater than 0.05). Enterococci were isolated most frequently from operative-site infections. When administered 3.5-5.0 hours preoperatively, cefonicid was as effective as more traditional regimens.