Activity of third generation cephalosporins against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in high risk hospital units.

Ceftazidime and Cefoperazone are the two third generation cephalosporins with anti-pseudomonal activity. They have been frequently used in the I.C.U.s. in the developed countries but their use in the Indian hospitals has begun relatively recently. We studied the in-vitro susceptibility of 139 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates that were multiple drug resistant from the Resuscitation Unit/I.C.U. (61 strains), Burns Unit (48 strains), Surgical Post-operative unit (24 strains), Nephrology unit (6 strains) of our hospital to these two cephalosporine over a period of about 18 months. Antibiotic susceptibility was studied using Kirby Bauer's disc dibusion method. Out of a total of 139 strains of multiple drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa tested, 17.9% were found resistant each to Ceftazidime and Cefoperazone separately and 10% were found resistant to both antibiotics.