Moxalactam in the treatment of intraabdominal sepsis and other surgical infections.

Bacterial peritonitis, intraabdominal sepsis, and other surgical infections are frequently polymicrobial. Moxalactam, a new beta-lactam antibiotic, has been shown to be active in vitro against most bacterial pathogens commonly isolated from patients with surgical infections. This drug was therefore tested as the sole antimicrobial agent in the treatment of 32 surgical infections (25 cases of intraabdominal sepsis, 6 cases of wound infections, and 1 case of bacteremia). Nearly all (91%) of the infections responded favorably; 66% were cured with moxalactam plus surgery, 16% were cured with moxalactam alone, and 9% improved. Moxalactam-resistant strains of bacteria were isolated from 18 infections but were associated with therapeutic failure in only two cases and with superinfection in three cases. On the basis of these data, we believe that moxalactam is an effective and safe antimicrobial agent for use alone in the treatment of serious intraabdominal infections.