Comparative susceptibilities of 173 aerobic and anaerobic bite wound isolates to sparfloxacin, temafloxacin, clarithromycin, and older agents.

The in vitro activities of sparfloxacin, temafloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, clarithromycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, cephalothin, penicillin G, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid against 173 recent clinical bite wound isolates were determined by agar dilution. Sparfloxacin was active against all strains (MIC for 90% of strains tested, < or = 1 micrograms/ml) except for most fusobacteria and one-third of the Prevotella spp. The other fluoroquinolones had similar activities but higher MICs, especially for streptococci. Clarithromycin was more active against many isolates including Pasteurella multocida than erythromycin, with MICs of < or = 2 micrograms/ml (versus 4 micrograms/ml for erythromycin).