[Clinical and bacteriological effects of cefetamet pivoxil against community-acquired respiratory tract infections].

We investigated clinical and bacteriological effects of cefetamet pivoxil (CEMT-PI) in community-acquired respiratory tract infections and obtained the following findings. 1. Of the 420 respiratory tract infection cases that were treated with CEMT-PI according to a same protocol at a total of 42 institutions in Tokyo, Kanagawa-ken, Saitama-ken and Chiba-ken from February to the beginning of April 1994, 359 cases in which clinical evaluations were considered possible were selected as the subjects of the clinical study. Regarding genders of patients, slightly more females (56.3%) than males were included. Diagnoses given to these patients included laryngopharygealitis (60.7%), tonsillitis (14.2%) and acute bronchitis (13.6). Outpatients accounted for 94.4% of the subjects. 2. For the bacteriological study, a written material describing the method of collecting specimens, storage and transport in detail was distributed to the above mentioned institutions. The isolation and identification of suspected causative bacteria, determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and investigation of beta-lactamase production were conducted all together. Suspected causative bacteria were detected from 238 (66.3%) out of the 359 cases. They included 85 strains of Haemophilus influenzae, 76 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, 20 strains of Streptococcus pyogenes and 17 strains of Moraxella subgenus Branhamella catarrhalis. 3. Clinical efficacy rates (the ratio of those excellent+good) among those who were treated with 1 CEMT-PI tablet (194 mg, titer) twice a day was 76.5% and among those who were given 2 tablets twice a day was 87.4%. The improvement rate of the latter was higher at a significant level of P < 0.05. 4. The clinical efficacies classified by suspected causative bacteria (single bacterium) were 93.3% against M.(B.) catarrhalis, 91.7% against beta-streptococci, 87.1% against H. influenzae and 78.4% against S. pneumoniae, etc. Though 7 (9.2%) of the 76 strains of S. pneumoniae were benzylpenicillin (PCG)-insensitive S. pneumoniae (PISP), the bacteriological efficacy was assessed either excellent or good in all of the 7 patients from whom PISP were detected. The clinical efficacy was assessed 100.0% in those from which a plural number of bacteria were detected. The 13 cases from which small numbers of Staphylococcus aureus was detected with other bacterium were also included in these cases.