Introduction: The use of antimicrobial prophylaxis for surgical procedures is one of the measures employed to prevent the development of surgical site infections (SSI). The appropriate choice of antimicrobial agents, dosage regimen, timing, duration and use of intravenous route must be evidence based. This study aimed to assess the practice of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis and adherence of practitioners to the American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists (ASHP) guidelines for antimicrobial prophylaxis in surgery and to explore reasons for non-compliance. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 20 Jordanian hospitals from October 2006 to June 2007. A questionnaire was designed to collect information from physicians regarding the practice of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP), references used for guiding SAP practice, prevalence of surgical site infection (SSI), and causative microorganisms. Results: SAP was employed in almost all surgical departments of hospitals. The improper timing of antimicrobial administration for SAP was attributed to lack of knowledge of the guidelines (46.1%), while the improper antimicrobial choice was ascribed to drug unavailability (61.8%). Conclusion: This study shows that physicians are aware of the importance of antimicrobial prophylaxis before surgical procedures. However, further efforts are needed to ensure the implementation of the standard SAP guidelines in Jordanian hospitals.

Context: Natural flora are considered a major source of new agents for the treatment of Helicobactor pylori. The plants used in this study were selected based on previous traditional use. Clinical isolates of H. pylori were tested in vitro for susceptibility to each of the above plant crude extracts using disk diffusion method, and the MIC value was determined for each plant extract using the serial dilution method. Results: Results showed that ethanol extracts of most medicinal plants exerted cytotoxiciy against H. pylori isolates. Among the tested plant extracts, A. triphylla (MIC: 90 mg/mL, MBC: 125 mg/mL) and I. viscosa (MIC: 83 mg/mL, MBC: 104 mg/mL) showed the strongest activity against both isolates of H. pylori. Discussion and conclusion: Jordanian medicinal plants might be valuable sources of starting materials for the synthesis of new antibacterial agents against H. pylori.

The in vitro activity of two new expanded spectrum fourth-generation cephalosporins, cefepime and cefpirome, was compared with that of five antibacterial agents, ceftazidime, cefoperazone, cefotaxime, imipenem, and ciprofloxacin, that are commonly used in the treatment of serious infections caused by aerobic gram-negative bacteria. The agar dilution method described by the US National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics tested. Three hundred and two clinical isolates, representing a cross-section of Klebsiella and Enterobacter species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were tested. The most potent β-lactams were imipenem, cefepime, and cefpirome, which demonstrated significant activity against the majority of strains in all three genera of bacteria, as did ciprofloxacin. Ceftazidime was active against P. aeruginosa, but was less potent against Klebsiella and Enterobacter species. Cefoperazone and cefotaxime were less active than ceftazidime against P. aeruginosa. Cefepime had slightly greater activity than cefpirome against the gram-negative bacteria tested. These data indicate that cefepime and cefpirome are highly active against many frequently resistant nosocomial bacterial strains that are traditionally responsible for difficult-to-treat infections.

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