NOTES Comparative Susceptibilities of 173 Aerobic and Anaerobic Bite Wound Isolates to Sparfloxacin, Temafloxacin, Clarithromycin, and Older Agents

tetracycline, cephalothin, penicillin G, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid against 173 recent clinical bite wound isolates were determined by agar dilution. Sparfloxacin was active against all strains (MIC for 90%o of strains tested, c1,ug/ml) except for most fusobacteria and one-third of the Prevotela spp. The other fluoroquinolones had similar activities but higher MICs, especially for streptococci. Clarithromycin was more active against many isolates including Pasteureffa mulocida than erythromycin, with MICs of.2 iLg/ml (versus 4,ug/mi for erythromycin). Since many laboratories are unable to perform in vitro susceptibility studies with fastidious aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, clinicians must sometimes rely on the medical literature to guide therapeutic choices, both empiric and specific, for human and animal bite wounds. Prior studies (3, 6, 8, 9) have noted a high percentage of 3-lactamase-producing bacteria and the emergence of resistance to com-monly used antimicrobial agents in several genera of isolates obtained from bite wounds. Consequently, information about newer alternative therapeutic agents and their in vitro activities against the full spectrum of species isolated fro