Antibiotics covering aerobic and aerobic bacteria should be delivered orally and intravenously prior to colorectal surgery.  Antibiotics delivered within this framework will reduce the risk of postoperative SWI by at least 75%.  Further research is required to establish the optimal timing and duration of dosing, and frequency of longer-term adverse effects such as Clostridium difficile pseudomembranous colitis.
Moxalactam as single-agent prophylaxis in the prevention of wound infection following colon surgery.
A single agent systemic antibiotic (moxalactam) when used prophylactically in patients undergoing colon surgery was associated with a wound infection rate comparable to that achieved by a combination of oral neomycin and intravenous metronidazole. The data obtained demonstrated that the reduced infection rate was not the result of a reduction in the bacterial content of the colon alone but due to the prophylactic agents used for elective colon surgery.