Comparative in vitro activity of faropenem against staphylococci.

The anti-staphylococcal activity of faropenem, a novel beta-lactam, was examined and compared with that of amoxicillin, cefuroxime, clindamycin and vancomycin using the agar dilution method. A total of 234 staphylococci, including a large number of clonally different methicillin-resistant strains and a representative number of Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants, were tested. While the activity of faropenem was independent of the staphylococcal phenotype, the novel penem was up to eight times more active against methicillin-susceptible strains compared with the other agents tested. In addition, faropenem was active against many methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci.