Twenty-seven patients with serious gram-negative
infections were treated with
ticarcillin in an average daily dosage of 237 mg/kg (range, 174 to 307 mg/kg).
Ticarcillin was bactericidal for all infecting organisms in concentrations ranging from 31.2 to 125 mug/ml. Five of 8 patients (62%) with overwhelming Pseudomonas
pneumonia were cured or improved, and 9 of 12 (75%) were cured of
pneumonia caused by other gram-negative organisms. Of six extrapulmonary
infections caused by Pseudomonas, five (83%) were cured or improved. In seven cases, the infecting organism reisolated during
therapy was more resistant to
ticarcillin than the primary isolate. The serum half-life of
ticarcillin in three patients with
renal failure was 11.2 +/- 1.0 h, and during
hemodialysis it decreased to 6.3 +/- 1.8 h. There were two episodes of
superinfection with resistant organisms. Thirteen patients (48%) manifested
eosinophilia, one of whom had severe
urticaria. Prolongation of bleeding time was attributable to
ticarcillin in two patients.
Ticarcillin appears to be effective for
therapy of serious gram-negative
infections in dosages 30 to 50% less than those recommended for
carbenicillin.