Infection in women. Clinical experience with beta-lactamase inhibitors.

Because of the high incidence of beta-lactamase production among bacteria that are found commonly in pelvic infections in women, beta-lactamase-inhibiting antibiotics should prove effective in treating those infections. In a randomized, comparative study of 47 women with intraabdominal infections, 23 received ticarcillin disodium/clavulanate potassium, and 24 received cefoxitin. Among the infections treated were endometritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, amnionitis, salpingitis, septicemia, intraabdominal abscess and pelvic abscess. The bacteriologic response to ticarcillin disodium/clavulanate potassium was 88.8% success as compared with 87.5% for cefoxitin. Clinical cures were achieved in 98.8% of patients treated with ticarcillin disodium/clavulanate potassium and 90.9% of patients treated with cefoxitin. The adverse reactions were diarrhea, transient eosinophilia and transient thrombocytosis.