Susceptibility of Nocardia asteroides to 46 antibiotics, including 22 beta-lactams.

Twelve Nocardia asteroides isolates were tested for their susceptibility to 46 antibiotics by the agar dilution method. N-Formimidoyl thienamycin was the most active of 22 beta-lactam antibiotics, inhibiting 11 of the 12 strains at 1 microgram/ml. Penicillins, including ureidopenicillins, showed poor activity. Cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, and especially cefuroxime had the best activities of the cephalosporins tested. Among the other antibiotics, amikacin and minocycline, respectively, inhibited all of the strains tested at 0.5 and 4 micrograms/ml.