Cefixime shows good effects on Group A and Group B β-haemolytic streptococci

There is continued interest in the development of oral β-lactam compounds, which can be used clinically to treat various bacterial infections, particularly those caused by β-haemolytic streptococci. Cefixime is a new orally active cephalosporin, with a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity, including Enterobacteriaceae, Haemophilus influenzae, Branhamella catarrhalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes. Cefixime is highly resistant to hydrolysis by most β-lactamases. In this study the authors examined the effects of this molecule on Group A and Group B β-haemolytic streptococci, recently isolated from clinical specimens in the authors' laboratory. MICs and the growth curves of 36 strains of Group A streptococci and the effects of sub-MICs on buccal cell adhesion were evaluated. The results show that concerning the sub-MIC cefixime effect on streptococci adherence, the treatment led to a decrease in adherence to the cells of the strains studied. Moreover cefixime showed good activity with 86.1% of the strains with MIC ≤ 0.5 μg/ml, and the growth curves demonstrated that the molecule possesses a bactericidal effect after 3 h. Concerning Group B streptococci, 70.3% of the strains showed a MIC ≤ 2 μg/ml. In conclusion cefixime demonstrates good activity on β-haemolytic streptococci, particulaly those of Group A.