Antibacterial activity of cefotaxime and other newer cephalosporins (in vitro and in vivo)

Cefotaxime possesses an extremely broad antibacterial spectrum and is very active against Gram-positive bacteria and especially on Enterobacteriaceae, Haemophilus influenzae or Neisseria gonorrhoeae . It is also active on Bacteroides fragilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Cefotaxime penetrates well through cell walls, shows high β-lactamase stability and strong affinity to the important target enzymes. Cefotaxime is not absorbed from the gut. The serum half-life in animals is between 0.26 h (mouse) and 0.62 h (dog). Cefotaxime is mainly excreted with the urine. The high in vitro activity and the favourable pharmacokinetic properties are responsible for the good therapeutic efficacy of cefotaxime in experimental infection models.