In vitro activity of cefpodoxime, a new oral cephalosporin, compared with that of nine other antimicrobial agents.

The in vitro activity of the compound RU-51746, the sodium salt of cefpodoxime (which is administered orally as the ester cefpodoxime proxetil) was compared with that of other commonly used oral antibiotics against a selection of clinical isolates of common bacteria from patients with urinary tract, soft tissue and respiratory tract infections. RU-51746 was found to inhibit 90% of Enterobacteriaceae at less than 1 mg/l; pneumococci, pyogenic streptococci (Lancefield groups A, C and G) and Streptococcus agalactiae were almost all inhibited by concentrations of less than 0.06 mg/l; Haemophilus influenzae (including beta-lactamase producers) were inhibited by less than 1 mg/l; 90% of Branhamella catarrhalis were inhibited at less than 2 mg/l. Activity against Acinetobacter spp. and staphylococci was variable and enterococci were all resistant.