Comparative in vitro activity of ceftizoxime, cefoperazone, and cefoxitin against anaerobic bacteria.

Against 482 obligate anaerobes studied by the agar dilution technique, ceftizoxime was significantly more active than both cefoxitin and cefoperazone (P less than 0.001); the latter two agents were comparable in activity. The enhanced activity of ceftizoxime, as compared with the activity of cefoxitin, was against both gram-positive and gram-negative anaerobes (especially Lactobacillus and bacteroides spp). Cefoperazone, however, was more active than cefoxitin against gram-positive anaerobes (particularly Lactobacillus spp.) but was less active than cefoxitin against gram-negative anaerobes (particularly Bacteroides fragilis and Veillonella spp.).