Effect of aztreonam in combination with azlocillin or piperacillin on Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Aztreonam, a synthetic monobactam antimicrobial agent specifically active against aerobic, gram-negative microorganisms, was studied in combination with the extended-spectrum penicillins azlocillin and piperacillin against 46 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Of these strains, 4.3% were synergistically inhibited, and 19.7% showed evidence for an additive effect of the antibiotics. All other strains showed indifference. The addition of cefoxitin to these combinations increased the MICs of azlocillin and piperacillin by two to three tubes, whereas zero- to one-tube increases were noted for aztreonam MICs. Attempts to block cefoxitin-induced beta-lactamase production by using clindamycin were unsuccessful even at high clindamycin concentrations.