Encephalopathy is a rare side effect of third and fourth generation cephalosporins. Renal failure and preexisting neurological disease are notable risk factors. Recognition is important as discontinuing the offending agent usually resolves symptoms. We present a case of acute encephalopathy in a patient with end stage renal disease (ESRD) treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) who received intra...

MICs of 21 beta-lactams were determined by agar dilution against 283 penicillin-susceptible (pen-S), 122 intermediate (pen-I) and 23 fully penicillin-resistant (pen-R) pneumococci. MICs of all beta-lactams increased with increasing MICs of penicillin. Clometocillin was the most active penicillin against pen-I or pen-R pneumococci. All oral cephalosporins except cefuroxime and cefpodoxime were l...

Parenteral cephalosporins are among the most frequently used antibiotics in hospital therapy. They are characterised by an extended spectrum of activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and some also have good activity against anaerobes. They kill proliferating bacterial cells rapidly, and generally show only a low tendency to select resistant mutants. However, there are cephal...

Infections in patients with cirrhosis are common among those who develop variceal hemorrhage. Prophylactic antimicrobial treatment with third generation cephalosporins is recommended in patients with advanced cirrhosis and gastrointestinal hemorrhage. However no infectious source is identified in up to 50% of patients with cirrhosis and clinical sepsis. We report the first case of Paracoccus ye...

BACKGROUND antibiotic-associated diarrhoea caused by Clostridium difficile is increasing in hospitals, and older people are at particular risk. OBJECTIVE to establish whether reducing patient exposure to injectable third-generation cephalosporins by substituting alternative antibiotics can produce a cost-effective reduction in the incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. DESIGN we pros...

In the present economic climate, it is increasingly necessary to ensure the cost-effectiveness of all aspects of healthcare. The expenditure on medications in a hospital is largely determined by the workload and throughput, but efforts to rationalise the use of medications will result in benefits both in patient care and overall costs. The purpose of this report is to discuss the advantages o...

Antibiotics are drugs that kill (bactericidal) or slow (bacteriostatic) the growth of bacteria. Broad-spectrum antibiotics treat a wide range of infections, while narrowspectrum antibiotics are effective against only a few types of bacteria. Antibiotics are very essential in the treatment of human and animal infections caused by bacteria. They are also important for the prevention of secondary ...

Common signs and symptoms of streptococcal pharyngitis include sore throat, temperature greater than 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C), tonsillar exudates, and cervical adenopathy. Cough, coryza, and diarrhea are more common with viral pharyngitis. Available diagnostic tests include throat culture and rapid antigen detection testing. Throat culture is considered the diagnostic standard, although t...

Definitions: Beta-lactam antimicrobials are characterized by having a four-membered cyclic amide (beta-lactam ring) as part of their chemical structure (Figure 1) [1]. This broad group includes the penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems, and monobactams [1]. All beta-lactams have a similar mechanism of action; they inhibit bacterial cell wall synthesis [1]. Resistance to beta-lactam antimicro...