Cefepime versus carbapenems for treatment of AmpC beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales bloodstream infections.

PURPOSE: Cefepime is recommended for treating infections caused by AmpC beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (AmpC-PE), though supporting evidence is limited. Therefore, this study compared outcomes associated with cefepime versus carbapenem therapy for bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by AmpC-PE after phenotypic exclusion of ESBL-co-producing isolates. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study compared definite cefepime versus carbapenem treatment for AmpC-PE BSI in hospitalized patients of the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, between 01/2015 and 07/2020. Primary outcomes included in-hospital death, renal impairment and neurologic adverse events; secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay and recurrent infection. RESULTS: Two hundred and seventy episodes of AmpC-PE BSI were included, 162, 77 and 31 were treated with a carbapenem, cefepime and other antibiotics, respectively. Patients treated with carbapenems were more likely to be transferred to the ICU on admission and more frequently had central venous catheter as a source of infection. In uni- and multivariable analyses, primary and secondary outcomes did not differ between the two treatment groups, except for more frequent occurrence of neurological adverse events among patients treated with carbapenems and shorter length of hospital stay among survivors treated with cefepime. CONCLUSION: After excluding isolates with phenotypic ESBL-co-production, cefepime was not associated with adverse outcomes compared to carbapenems when used to treat BSIs caused by AmpC-PE. Our study provides evidence to support the use of cefepime as a safe treatment strategy for AmpC-PE BSI, particularly in clinically stable patients without initial renal impairment or increased susceptibility to neurological adverse events.

Ceftazidime-avibactam versus polymyxins in treating patients with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) pose a significant threat to human health and have emerged as a major public health concern. We aimed to compare the efficacy and the safety of ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) and polymyxin in the treatment of CRE infections. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed by searching the databases of EMBASE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library. Published studies on the use of CAZ-AVI and polymyxin in the treatment of CRE infections were collected from the inception of the database until March 2023. Two investigators independently screened the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, evaluated the methodological quality of the included studies and extracted the data. The meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. RESULTS: Ten articles with 833 patients were included (CAZ-AVI 325 patients vs Polymyxin 508 patients). Compared with the patients who received polymyxin-based therapy, the patients who received CAZ-AVI therapy had significantly lower 30-days mortality (RR = 0.49; 95% CI 0.01-2.34; I2 = 22%; P < 0.00001), higher clinical cure rate (RR = 2.70; 95% CI 1.67-4.38; I2 = 40%; P < 0.00001), and higher microbial clearance rate (RR = 2.70; 95% CI 2.09-3.49; I2 = 0%; P < 0.00001). However, there was no statistically difference in the incidence of acute kidney injury between patients who received CAZ-AVI and polymyxin therapy (RR = 1.38; 95% CI 0.69-2.77; I2 = 22%; P = 0.36). In addition, among patients with CRE bloodstream infection, those who received CAZ-AVI therapy had significantly lower mortality than those who received polymyxin therapy (RR = 0.44; 95% CI 0.27-0.69, I2 = 26%, P < 0.00004). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to polymyxin, CAZ-AVI demonstrated superior clinical efficacy in the treatment of CRE infections, suggesting that CAZ-AVI may be a superior option for CRE infections.

Influence of probiotic and prebiotic supplementation on intestinal microbiota and resistance to Edwardsiella ictaluri infection in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) following florfenicol administration.

Enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC), caused by the gram-negative enteric bacteria Edwardsiella ictaluri, is a significant threat to catfish aquaculture in the southeastern United States. Antibiotic intervention can reduce mortality; however, antibiotic use results in an imbalance, or dysbiosis, of the gut microbiota, which may increase susceptibility of otherwise healthy fish to enteric infections. Herein, recovery of the intestinal microbiota and survivability of channel catfish in response to ESC challenge was evaluated following a 10-day course of florfenicol and subsequent probiotic or prebiotic supplementation. Following completion of florfenicol therapy, fish were transitioned to a basal diet or diets supplemented with a probiotic or prebiotic for the remainder of the study. Digesta was collected on Days 0, 4, 8 and 12, beginning on the first day after cessation of antibiotic treatment, and gut microbiota was characterized by Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene (V4 region). Remaining fish were challenged with E. ictaluri and monitored for 32 days post-challenge. Florfenicol administration resulted in dysbiosis characterized by inflated microbial diversity, which began to recover in terms of diversity and composition 4 days after cessation of florfenicol administration. Fish fed the probiotic diet had higher survival in response to ESC challenge than the prebiotic (p = .019) and negative control (p = .029) groups.

Cefepime vs carbapenems for treating third-generation cephalosporin-resistant AmpC ß-lactamase-hyperproducing Enterobacterales bloodstream infections: a multicenter retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: AmpC ß-lactamase-hyperproducing Enterobacterales (ABLHE) bloodstream infections (BSI) are emerging and leading to therapeutic challenges worldwide. Prescriptions of carbapenems may lead to the emergence of resistance. This study aimed to compare cefepime with carbapenems for the treatment of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant ABLHE BSI. METHODS: This retrospective multicenter study included patients with ABLHE BSI from two tertiary hospitals in France, between July 2017 and July 2022. Non-AmpC-producing Enterobacterales, extended-spectrum ß-lactamase, and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales were excluded. Cefepime was prescribed only in case of minimal inhibitory concentration ≤1 mg/l. The primary outcome was 30-day in-hospital mortality from the date of index blood culture. Secondary outcomes were infection recurrence and treatment toxicity. An inverse probability of treatment weighting approach was used to balance the baseline characteristics between the two groups. RESULTS: We analyzed 164 BSI, which included 77 in the cefepime group and 87 in the carbapenem group. In the weighted cohort, the 30-day mortality rates were similar between the cefepime group (23.3%) and the carbapenem group (19.6%) with a relative risk of 1.19 (95% confidence interval, 0.61-2.33 P = 0.614). No significant difference in recurrence or toxicity was found between the two groups. CONCLUSION: This study adds evidence in favor of the use of cefepime for treating third-generation cephalosporin-resistant ABLHE BSI in case of minimal inhibitory concentration ≤ 1 mg/l, which could spare carbapenems.

Bloodstream infections due to Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae in hematological patients: assessment of risk factors for mortality and treatment options.

PURPOSE: Bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are associated with poor outcomes in hematological patients. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for mortality and evaluate the value of epidemiological feature of carbapenemases in guiding antimicrobial treatment options. METHODS: Hematological patients with monomicrobial CRE BSI between January 2012 and April 2021 were included. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality 30 days after BSI onset. RESULTS: A total of 94 patients were documented in the study period. Escherichia coli was the most common Enterobacteriaceae, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae. 66 CRE strains were tested for carbapenemase genes, and 81.8% (54/66) were positive, including NDM (36/54), KPC (16/54), IMP (1/54). Besides, one E. coli isolate was found to express both NDM and OXA-48-like genes. Overall, 28 patients received an antimicrobial treatment containing ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI), of which 21 cases were combined with aztreonam. The remaining 66 patients were treated with other active antibiotics (OAAs). The 30-day mortality rate was 28.7% (27/94) for all patients, and was only 7.1% ((2/28) for patients treated with CAZ-AVI. In multivariate analysis, the presence of septic shock at BSI onset (OR 10.526, 95% CI 1.376-76.923) and pulmonary infection (OR 6.289, 95% CI 1.351-29.412) were independently risk factors for 30-day mortality. Comparing different antimicrobial regimens, CAZ-AVI showed a significant survive benefit than OAAs (OR 0.068, 95% CI 0.007-0.651). CONCLUSION: CAZ-AVI-containing regimen is superior to OAAs for CRE BSI. As the predominance of blaNDM in our center, we recommend the combination with aztreonam when choose CAZ-AVI.

Risk Factors for Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales Clinical Treatment Failure.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) categorized carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infections as an "urgent" health care threat requiring public attention and research. Certain patients with CRE infections may be at higher risk for poor clinical outcomes than others. Evidence on risk or protective factors for CRE infections are warranted in order to determine the most at-risk populations, especially with newer beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) antibiotics available to treat CRE. We aimed to identify specific variables involved in CRE treatment that are associated with clinical failure (either 30-day mortality, 30-day microbiologic recurrence, or clinical worsening/failure to improve throughout antibiotic treatment). We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study of hospitalized patients with CRE infection sampled from 2010 to 2020 at two medical systems in Detroit, Michigan. Patients were included if they were ≥18 years old and culture positive for an organism in the Enterobacterales order causing clinical infection with in vitro resistance by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoints to at least one carbapenem. Overall, there were 140 confirmed CRE infections of which 39% had clinical failure. The most common infection sources were respiratory (38%), urinary (20%), intra-abdominal (16%), and primary bacteremia (14%). A multivariable logistic regression model was developed to identify statistically significant associated predictors with clinical failure, and they included Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 1.32), chronic dialysis (aOR, 5.86; 95% CI, 1.51-22.7), and Klebsiella pneumoniae in index culture (aOR, 3.09; 95% CI, 1.28 to 7.47). Further research on CRE infections is needed to identify best practices to promote treatment success. IMPORTANCE This work compares carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infections using patient, clinical, and treatment variables to understand which characteristics are associated with the highest risk of clinical failure. Knowing which risk factors are associated with CRE infection failure can provide clinicians better prognostic and targeted interventions. Research can also further investigate why certain risk factors cause more clinical failure and can help develop treatment strategies to mitigate associated risk factors.

Clinical characteristics and treatment of IMP-type carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae bacteremia: Case series and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Several carbapenemases have been identified globally in Enterobacteriaceae. In Japan, IMP-type carbapenemase is the most prevalent, although cases of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) bacteremia are still scarce. The present case series and literature review aimed to elucidate the clinical characteristics and treatment strategies for IMP-type CPE bacteremia. METHODS: Clinical data on pediatric cases of IMP-type CPE bacteremia at the Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center between 2010 and 2020 were collected, and a review of past studies of IMP-type CPE bacteremia has been provided. RESULTS: Five pediatric episodes of IMP-type CPE bacteremia were identified. Our review of previous literature on IMP-type CPE bacteremia revealed 24 adult patients, but no pediatric patients. All 29 cases had underlying diseases, and 23 (79%) received combination therapy. The median duration of antibiotic therapy was 14 days (interquartile range: 9-14 days). The overall mortality rate was 38% (11/29). The mortality rates associated with monotherapy and combination therapy were 67% (4/6) and 30% (7/23), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We report the first case series of IMP-type CPE bacteremia in children. Our review of past studies suggests that combination therapy might lead to better survival outcomes in patients with IMP-type CPE bacteremia. Further research is needed to establish an optimal treatment strategy for IMP-type CPE bacteremia.

Hits and misses in treatment of ESCPM gram negative infections.

Treatment of Enterobacter infections is complex and often associated with development of resistance when wrong antibiotics are chosen for treatment despite in vitro susceptibility. This infectious diseases grand round highlights two cases, how antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship approach could detect and prevent development of such resistance in - vivo.

Antimicrobial resistance profiles and genes in uropathogenic Enterobacteriaceae in reproductive-age women in St. Petersburg, Russia: implication for treatment of pyelonephritis in pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in women, and during pregnancy can cause significant morbidity. Growing and greatly varying antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of Enterobacteriaceae, responsible for most UTIs, necessitates regular local AMR surveillance. In obstetric population, where beta-lactams are the mainstay for treatment of severe UTIs, particular focus should be placed on beta-lactam resistance. This study aimed to evaluate AMR rates and frequency of extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase genes in uropathogenic Enterobacteriaceae among reproductive-age women in St. Petersburg, Russia. MATERIALS/METHODS: Urine samples were collected from consecutive reproductive-age women, who attended the D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology from October 2017 to November 2019, and cultured according to routine procedures. Susceptibility to antibiotics and ESBL production was determined using the disc diffusion method according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) guidelines. All urine samples and Enterobacteriaceae isolates were tested for ESBL and carbapenemase genes using real-time PCR. RESULTS: Enterobacteriaceae were detected in 91 (56 pregnant and 35 non-pregnant) of 119 (76%) included women. The vast majority of Enterobacteriaceae strains were susceptible to nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin and meropenem (99-100%). The frequency of strains susceptible to penicillins and cephalosporins ranged from 59% to 82%; 78% of strains were susceptible to ciprofloxacin. ESBL production was phenotypically detected in 15 (16%) Enterobacteriaceae strains, with CTX-M genes revealed in all cases. In all corresponding urine samples, CTX-M genes were also detected. The remaining 104 urine samples were negative for CTX-M genes. In none of the isolates and urine samples, carbapenemase genes were present. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of ESBL producing Enterobacteriaceae was relatively high (16%), with CTX-M genes detected in all cases in both urine and urine cultures. Rapid PCR detection of CTX-M genes directly in urine samples from women with pyelonephritis can be valuable for timely informing treatment choices.

Pectins that Structurally Differ in the Distribution of Methyl-Esters Attenuate Citrobacter rodentium-Induced Colitis.

INTRODUCTION: Pectins have anti-inflammatory properties on intestinal immunity through direct interactions on Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the small intestine or via stimulating microbiota-dependent effects in the large intestine. Both the degree of methyl-esterification (DM) and the distribution of methyl-esters (degree of blockiness; DB) of pectins contribute to this influence on immunity, but whether and how the DB impacts immunity through microbiota-dependent effects in the large intestine is unknown. Therefore, this study tests pectins that structurally differ in DB in a mouse model with Citrobacter rodentium induced colitis and studies the impact on the intestinal microbiota composition and associated attenuation of inflammation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Both low and high DB pectins induce a more rich and diverse microbiota composition. These pectins also lower the bacterial load of C. rodentium in cecal digesta. Through these effects, both low and high DB pectins attenuate C. rodentium induced colitis resulting in reduced intestinal damage, reduced numbers of Th1-cells, which are increased in case of C. rodentium induced colitis, and reduced levels of GATA3+ Tregs, which are related to tissue inflammation. CONCLUSION: Pectins prevent C. rodentium induced colonic inflammation by lowering the C. rodentium load in the caecum independently of the DB.

Retrospective assessment of antimicrobial stewardship initiative in outpatient use of ertapenem for uncomplicated extended spectrum beta lactamase Enterobacteriaceae urinary tract infections.

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are often over-diagnosed and over-treated, which can induce and select for resistant pathogens. After observing wide-spread outpatient use of ertapenem, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, a structured antimicrobial stewardship initiative (ASI) to improve appropriate antimicrobial prescribing was undertaken. ASI objectives were to achieve a goal of reducing ertapenem utilization for extended spectrum beta lactamase Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-EB) UTI by 10% and evaluate the clinical outcomes associated with the ASI. METHODS: A pre-to-post cohort study was conducted at a single-center integrated healthcare system between November 1, 2014 and February 26, 2017. An intensive, 90-day, pharmacist-driven, structured ASI was implemented between November 1, 2015 and January 29, 2016. Female patients aged ≥18 years who were treated for an uncomplicated, ESBL-EB urinary tract infection (UTI) were included. Primary outcome was clinical resolution defined as cure, persistence, relapse and recurrence. Secondary outcome measured was monthly ertapenem use expressed as number of days of therapy (DOT)/1000 adjusted patient days (APD). Segmented regression analysis for interrupted time series was performed to estimate ASI intervention effect. RESULTS: A total of 184 patients were included in the study. Ertapenem utilization decreased from 0.0145 DOT/1000 APD in Nov. 2014 to 0.0078 DOT/1000 APD Feb. 2017(p < 0.01). The mean ertapenem DOT declined 19% overall from the pre vs. post intervention periods (32 vs 26, p < 0.01). Frequency of recurrent UTIs between treatments did not significantly differ and no adverse effects were reported in patients treated with aminoglycosides. CONCLUSIONS: A structured ASI for uncomplicated ESBL-EB UTI was associated with a clinically meaningful decrease in ertapenem utilization and once-daily, 5-day aminoglycoside treatment was well-tolerated.

Comparative genomics of Enterobacter cloacae complex before and after acquired clinical resistance to Ceftazidime-Avibactam.

Resistance to Ceftazidime-Avibactam in Enterobacter cloacae is poorly understood. Whole genome sequencing identified 6 variants in isolates collected from a patient before and after acquiring Ceftazidime-Avibactam resistance. This included a Phe396Leu mutation in acrB, a component of the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump, possibly mediating enhanced efflux of Ceftazidime and/ or Avibactam.

Epidemiology, risk factors, and prediction score of carbapenem resistance among inpatients colonized or infected with 3rd generation cephalosporin resistant Enterobacterales.

In this study, we determined the incidence and risk factors of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) acquisition in inpatients with 3rd generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GCR) Enterobacterales at a tertiary-care hospital in Lebanon, and suggested a risk prediction score for it. This is a retrospective matched case-control study of inpatients with 3GCR Enterobacterales that are carbapenem resistant (cases) versus those with carbapenem-sensitive isolates (controls). Data analysis was performed on IBM SPSS program, version 23.0 (Armonk, NY, USA: IBM Corp.). Categorical variables were compared between cases and controls through bivariate analysis and those with statistical significance (P < 0.05) were included in the forward stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis. To develop the CRE acquisition risk score, variables that maintained statistical significance in the multivariate model were assigned a point value corresponding to the odds ratio (OR) divided by the smallest OR identified in the regression model, and the resulting quotient was multiplied by two and rounded to the nearest whole number. Summation of the points generated by the calculated risk factors resulted in a quantitative score that was assigned to each patient in the database. Predictive performance was determined by assessing discrimination and calibration. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were calculated for different cutoffs of the score. The incidence of CRE acquisition significantly increased with time from 0.21 cases/1000 patient-days (PD) in 2015 to 1.89 cases/1000PD in 2019 (r2 = 0.789, P = 0.041). Multivariate analysis of matched data revealed that the history of cerebrovascular disease (OR 1.96; 95% CI 1.04-3.70; P = 0.039), hematopoietic cells transplantation (OR 7.75; 95% CI 1.52-39.36; P = 0.014), presence of a chronic wound (OR 3.38; 95% CI 1.73-6.50; P < 0.001), endoscopy done during the 3 months preceding the index hospitalization (OR 2.96; 95% CI 1.51-4.73; P = 0.01), nosocomial site of acquisition of the organism in question (OR 2.68; 95% CI 1.51-4.73; P = 0.001), and the prior use of meropenem within 3 months of CRE acquisition (OR 5.70; 95% CI 2.61-12.43; P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for CRE acquisition. A risk score ranging from 0 to 25 was developed based on these independent variables. At a cut-off of ≥ 5 points, the model exhibited a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of 64.5%, 85.8%, 82%, 70.7% and 75%, respectively. We also showed that only meropenem consumption intensity and CRE acquisition incidence density showed a strong positive correlation(r = 0.798, P = 0.106), unlike imipenem (r = - 0.868, P = 0.056) and ertapenem (r = 0.385, P = 0.522). Patients with a score of ≥ 5 points in our model were likely to acquire CRE. Only meropenem was associated with CRE carriage. Our proposed risk prediction score would help target surveillance screening for CRE amongst inpatients at the time of hospital admission and properly guide clinicians on using anti-CRE therapy.

Population pharmacokinetics of continuous infusion of piperacillin/tazobactam in very elderly hospitalized patients and considerations for target attainment against Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Continuous infusion (CI) piperacillin/tazobactam is frequently used to treat infections in very elderly patients. This study aimed to conduct a population pharmacokinetic analysis of CI piperacillin/tazobactam, and to identify optimal dosages for safe and effective probability of target attainment (PTA) against Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Non-linear mixed-effects modelling was performed with Pmetrics. Monte Carlo simulations assessed the steady-state concentration (Css) of increasing piperacillin/tazobactam regimens (from 2.25 to 18 g daily by continuous infusion). Permissible doses were defined as those associated with <10% probability of Css >157.2 mg/L. PTA at the pharmacodynamic targets of free plasma steady-state concentration (fCss)/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≥1 and ≥4 and cumulative fraction of response (CFR) against EUCAST MIC distribution were also calculated. A total of 141 patients (median age 85 years) provided 217 plasma piperacillin Css. Most patients (55.2%) had hospital-acquired pneumonia and intra-abdominal infections. A one-compartment pharmacokinetic model with parallel linear and Michaelis-Menten elimination best described piperacillin data. Creatinine clearance (CLCR) was the covariate retained by the model. Pharmacokinetic estimates were 6.05 L/h for clearance and 3.39 mg/L for the Michaelis-Menten constant. Permissible doses were up to 4.5, 9, 11.25 and 13.5 g daily by continuous infusion for patients with CLCR of 0-19, 20-39, 40-59 and 60-79 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. At the clinical breakpoint of 8 mg/L, the permissible doses only achieved optimal PTA for fCss/MIC ≥1 in patients with CLCR 20-79 mL/min/1.73 m2. Optimal CFRs with the permissible doses were only attained against Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis. Permissible dosages and CLCR should be considered for prescribing CI piperacillin/tazobactam in very elderly patients.

Management of serious infections caused by metallo ß-lactamases with or without OXA-48-like expressing Enterobacterales with aztreonam and ceftazidime/avibactam combination: Dosing strategy for better clinical outcome.

Serious infections caused by MBLs with or without OXA-48-like expressing Enterobacterales remain challenging to treat. Since aztreonam is stable to MBLs, it can be combined with ceftazidime/avibactam to protect against concurrently expressed ESBLs and class C ß-lactamases in MBL pathogens. However, in the light of dose-limiting hepatotoxicity of aztreonam, short half life of avibactam, significant protein binding of aztreonam, appropriate dosing and method of administration to optimize PK/PD and toxicodynamics for this combination is being debated. Based on in-vitro PK/PD studies, simultaneous administration of 6/1.5 g of ceftazidime/avibactam and 8 g of aztreonam per day has been recently suggested.

Facile accelerated specific therapeutic (FAST) platform develops antisense therapies to counter multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria pose a grave concern to global health, which is perpetuated by a lack of new treatments and countermeasure platforms to combat outbreaks or antibiotic resistance. To address this, we have developed a Facile Accelerated Specific Therapeutic (FAST) platform that can develop effective peptide nucleic acid (PNA) therapies against MDR bacteria within a week. Our FAST platform uses a bioinformatics toolbox to design sequence-specific PNAs targeting non-traditional pathways/genes of bacteria, then performs in-situ synthesis, validation, and efficacy testing of selected PNAs. As a proof of concept, these PNAs were tested against five MDR clinical isolates: carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Klebsiella pneumoniae, New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase-1 carrying Klebsiella pneumoniae, and MDR Salmonella enterica. PNAs showed significant growth inhibition for 82% of treatments, with nearly 18% of treatments leading to greater than 97% decrease. Further, these PNAs are capable of potentiating antibiotic activity in the clinical isolates despite presence of cognate resistance genes. Finally, the FAST platform offers a novel delivery approach to overcome limited transport of PNAs into mammalian cells by repurposing the bacterial Type III secretion system in conjunction with a kill switch that is effective at eliminating 99.6% of an intracellular Salmonella infection in human epithelial cells.

Mono vs. combo regimens with novel beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations for the treatment of infections due to carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales: insights from the literature.

Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA), meropenem-vaborbactam (MVB) and imipenem-relebactam (I-R) are combinations of old ß-lactams with novel non-ß-lactam ß-lactamase inhibitors (BLBLIs) able to inhibit some carbapenemases, such as the KPC-type, thus are becoming the standard for difficult-to-treat carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE); a practical question is whether these novel BLBLIs should be used as monotherapy or as part of a combination regimen with other antibiotics, and if so, with which ones, to reduce the emergence of resistant strains and to optimize their efficacy. In this short review, we assessed clinical outcomes in patients with CPE-infections treated with the novel BLBLIs as mono- or combo-regimens, and laboratory studies on the synergistic effects with other antimicrobials. Available evidence on combination therapy is scarce and mainly limited to retrospective studies involving 630 patients treated with CZA: aminoglycosides were used in 39.6% of 336 patients treated with combo-regimens, followed by polymyxin B/colistin (24.4%), tigecycline (24.1%), carbapenems (13.4%) and fosfomycin (5.4%). Aminoglycosides could be useful in case of bloodstream and severe urinary infections. Pneumonia is a risk factor for CZA-resistance emergence: fosfomycin, due to favorable lung pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, could represent an interesting partner; fosfomycin could be added also for osteomyelitis. Tigecycline could be preferred for intrabdominal and skin-soft tissue infections. Due to nephrotoxicity and lack of in vitro synergy, the association CZA/colistin seems not optimal. MVB and I-R were mostly used as monotherapies. Currently, there is no definitive evidence whether combinations are more effective than monotherapies; further studies are warranted, and to date only personal opinions can be provided.

Discovery of beta-lactamase CMY-10 inhibitors for combination therapy against multi-drug resistant Enterobacteriaceae.

ß-lactam antibiotics are the most widely used antimicrobial agents since the discovery of benzylpenicillin in the 1920s. Unfortunately, these life-saving antibiotics are vulnerable to inactivation by continuously evolving ß-lactamase enzymes that are primary resistance determinants in multi-drug resistant pathogens. The current study exploits the strategy of combination therapeutics and aims at identifying novel ß-lactamase inhibitors that can inactivate the ß-lactamase enzyme of the pathogen while allowing the ß-lactam antibiotic to act against its penicillin-binding protein target. Inhibitor discovery applied the Site-Identification by Ligand Competitive Saturation (SILCS) technology to map the functional group requirements of the ß-lactamase CMY-10 and generate pharmacophore models of active site. SILCS-MC, Ligand-grid Free Energy (LGFE) analysis and Machine-learning based random-forest (RF) scoring methods were then used to screen and filter a library of 700,000 compounds. From the computational screens 74 compounds were subjected to experimental validation in which ß-lactamase activity assay, in vitro susceptibility testing, and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis were conducted to explore their antibacterial potential. Eleven compounds were identified as enhancers while 7 compounds were recognized as inhibitors of CMY-10. Of these, compound 11 showed promising activity in ß-lactamase activity assay, in vitro susceptibility testing against ATCC strains (E. coli, E. cloacae, E. agglomerans, E. alvei) and MDR clinical isolates (E. cloacae, E. alvei and E. agglomerans), with synergistic assay indicating its potential as a ß-lactam enhancer and ß-lactamase inhibitor. Structural similarity search against the active compound 11 yielded 28 more compounds. The majority of these compounds also exhibited ß-lactamase inhibition potential and antibacterial activity. The non-ß-lactam-based ß-lactamase inhibitors identified in the current study have the potential to be used in combination therapy with lactam-based antibiotics against MDR clinical isolates that have been found resistant against last-line antibiotics.

How to optimize administration of cefoxitin for the treatment of extended spectrum producing Enterobacteriaceae-related infection?

Pharmacological and clinical data regarding cefoxitin for the treatment of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae-related infections are limited. We performed a multicentric prospective cohort study to evaluate continuous/prolonged, or intermittent infusion of cefoxitin. We assessed the plasma concentration as a function of the duration of infusion and then performed a simulation of the percentage of patients who would reach the PK/PD targets, set at 100% ƒT> MIC or 100% ƒT>4 MIC. Eighty-one patients were included. All patients were treated with 6 gr./day. MICs to cefoxitin ranged from 0.5 to 64 mg/L. Sixteen (19.7%) patients were infected with strains with cefoxitin MICs ≥ 8 mg/L. In all patients infected with strains with MICs ≤ 6 mg/L, PK/PD objectives (100% ƒT> MIC) were achieved with prolonged or continuous infusion. In contrast, when MICs were 8 mg/L only, continuous infusion was sufficient to achieve the PK/PD objectives (100% ƒT> MIC). Extended infusion of cefoxitin is necessary for the treatment of non-UTI ESBL-related infections.