Cefuroxime

Cefuroxime is an orally active second-generation cephalosporin antibiotic with increased stability to β-lactamase. Cefuroxime has a broad spectrum activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria^[1]. In Vitro: Cefuroxime is highly active against S. aureus (MIC=0.25 μg/ml), regardless of whether the strains produces a penicillinase. It is against Staphylococcus aureus methicillin susceptible; S. aureus, methicillin resistant, Streptococcus pyogenes, S. pneumoniae, S. viridans, S. faecalis, and Clostridium spp with MIC values of 0.25 μg/ml, 5.9 μg/ml, 0.125 μg/ml, 0.125 μg/ml, 0.125 μg/ml, >125.0 μg/ml, and 1.2 μg/ml, respectively^[1].
Cefuroxime (10-100 μg/ml; 2-6 hours) rapidly bactericidal, its action is comparatively slow against the strains of S. aureus, but, even so, over 99% of the initial inoculum is killed by 6 h. The gram-negative organisms are killed rapidly, and in most cases over 99% of the very large inocula are killed within 2 h; the β-lactamase-producing strains are killed as quickly as non-enzyme-producing strains^[1].
In Vivo: Rabbits (weighing 2.0 to 2.5 kg) are challenged intravenously with S. aureus strain 630 (a penicillinase-producing strain), the median effective dose of Cefuroxime is 3 mg/kg as a result of the protection test^[2].