Susceptibility of Clostridium difficile to Sixteen Antimicrobial Agents

Abstract

The broth—disk method was used to determine the activities of ampicillin, bacitracin, carbenicillin, oefazolin, cefoperazone, cefoxitin, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, erythromycin, metronidazole, penicillin, piperaciilin, rifarnpin, tetracycline, ticarcillin, and vancomycin against 28 strains of Clostridium dificile and 11 strains of other closttidium species. All strains were isolated from colitis anddiarrhoeal patients. Carbenicillin, metronidazole and vancomycin were found to be themost active agents against C. diffcile. None resistant strains of C. difficile to those three antimicrobial agents were observed. Twenty-seven strains (96.4%) of C. d difficile showed multiple drug resistant against three to eleven of other tested antimicrobial agents. All other clostridium species were susceptible to cefoperazone, piperacillin and ticarcillin. Seven strains (63.6%) had multiple drug resistant against two to six tested antimicrobial agents.