Penicillin

About: Penicillin is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 17916 publications have been published within this topic receiving 368480 citations. The topic is also known as: penicillin antibiotic & PCN.

Antibiotic usage in seven community hospitals.

Abstract: Between November 1967 and June 1969,24 prevalence studies of nosocomial infections and antibiotic usage were completed in seven community hospitals. Medical records of 5,256 patients were reviewed; 30.6% were receiving antibiotics, and 80% of those were receiving a single agent. Penicillin, ampicillin, and tetracycline use was similar, and these three accounted for about half of the antibiotics given. From January 1968 through June 1969, chloramphenicol use declined sharply; ampicillin and cephalosporin use increased. Antibiotics were used most frequently on the pediatric and surgical services. They were most frequently used without clearly recorded evidence of infection on the surgical services. Fewer than 30% of patients receiving penicillin, sulfonamides, and streptomycin had recorded evidence of infection when the antibiotic was first given; only 38% of 454 patients receiving antibiotics in 1969 had such evidence.

A perspective on penicillin allergy.

Abstract: Clinical situations for which penicillin is indicated as the sole effective treatment are not infrequent and may be increasing in incidence. Penicillin allergy in these circumstances complicates their medical management. The proper evaluation of penicillin allergy is thus crucial to making decisions about alternative antibiotic therapy vs penicillin and the need for desensitization in allergic individuals. The combination of skin testing and assessment of the type of previous penicillin allergic reaction allows designation of patients into those at high risk and those at low risk for subsequent reactions. Penicillin allergy may also complicate the management of infections in which a cephalosporin is the preferred treatment. The available data on cross-reactivity and concurrent hypersensitivity involving these antibiotics and penicillin are incomplete. The current and past literature were reviewed in an attempt to develop practical treatment approaches and to identify clinical questions that need further investigation related to penicillin allergy.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of bifidobacteria

Abstract: Objectives: The aim of our study was to analyse the antibiotic susceptibility of various strains of Bifidobacterium spp. to a wide range of antimicrobial agents. Methods: Fifty strains belonging to eight species of bifidobacteria, isolated from humans, animals or probiotic products, were tested for susceptibility to 30 antibiotics by disc diffusion on Brucella agar supplemented with 5% laked sheep blood and vitamin K1 (1 mg/L). MICs of nine anti-anaerobe agents, including three new molecules (telithromycin, linezolid and gatifloxacin), were determined using the reference agar-dilution method. Results: All strains of bifidobacteria, whatever the species, were sensitive to penicillins: penicillin G, amoxicillin (MIC50 0.06 mg/L), piperacillin, ticarcillin, imipenem and usually anti-Gram-positive antibiotics (macrolides, clindamycin, pristinamycin, vancomycin and teicoplanin). Susceptibility to cefalothin and cefotetan was variable. Most isolates (70%) were resistant to fusidic acid. As expected, high resistance rates were observed for aminoglycosides. Metronidazole, an agent known for its antianaerobe activity, was ineffective against 38% of the strains. The newly commercialized molecules, telithromycin, linezolid and gatifloxacin, were active with MIC50S of 1 mg/L. The only variation in susceptibility observed among the different species concerned Bifidobacterium breve, which appeared to be generally more resistant. Potentially acquired resistance was only observed against tetracycline and minocycline, in 14% of the strains.