Tazivex Indications/Uses

Ceftazidime is used in the treatment of susceptible infections, especially those due to Pseudomonas spp. They include infections of biliary tract, urinary tract, cystic fibrosis (respiratory tract infections), pneumonia, ENT, endophthalmitis, meningitis, septicaemia, skin and soft tissue infections (including burns, ecthyma gangrenosum and ulceration) and infections in immunocompromised patients.
Antimicrobial Action: Ceftazidime has a bactericidal action and broad spectrum of activity similar to cefotaxime, but increased activity against Pseudomonas spp. It is less active against staphylococci. Unlike Cefotaxime, it has no active metabolite.
Ceftazidime is highly stable to hydrolysis by most beta-lactamases. It is active in vitro against many gram negative bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae including Citrobacter and Enterobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., both indole-positive and indole-negative Proteus, Providencia, Salmonella, Serratia, and Shigella spp., and Yersinia enterocolitica. Other susceptible Gram positive bacteria include Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis, and Neisseria spp. Among Gram-positive bacteria it is active against some staphylococci and Listeria monocytogenes and generally resistant. Ceftazidime is active against some anaerobes, although most strains of Bacteroides fragilis and Clostridium difficile are resistant.
Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 6 μg or less per mL have been taken to indicate susceptibility to ceftazidime and MICs of 32 μg or more per mL, resistance. A MICs of about 4 μg per mL has been reported for Ps. Aeruginosa.
Resistance: As with Cefotaxime, resistance may develop during treatment due to depression of chromosomally-mediated beta-lactamases. It has been noted particularly in Pseudomonas spp. and in Enterobacteriaceae including Enterobacter and Klebsiella spp.