Clinical experience with aztreonam

Aztreonam, the first of the new class of monobactams, has a narrow and specific range of bactericidal activity; it is highly active against Gram-negative aerobic pathogens but is essentially inactive against Gram-positive or anaerobic bacteria. Several unique features indicate that aztreonam may provide an attractive choice for the treatment of serious Gram-negative infection in adults and children. Clinical study in adults has shown aztreonam to be highly effective against infections of the urinary and lower respiratory tracts, the musculoskeletal system and the female genitourinary tract. It also has proved useful in neutropenic patients, including those with cancer, and for treatment of bacterial peritonitis, gonorrhea, cellulitis and wound infections. Reported clinical and microbiologic cure rates have been comparable to those associated with traditional therapeutic approaches (85 to 100%). In the treatment of children with urinary tract infection as well as other types of infections, aztreonam therapy in a dosage of 30 mg/kg given every 6 to 8 hours was associated with satisfactory clinical and microbiologic cure rates. There appear to be specific clinical situations for which aztreonam may be an appropriate alternative to more toxic therapies, although comparative trials are needed to delineate the exact place of aztreonam in the armamentarium against bacterial infection.