title: In vitro activity of cefepime combined with sulbactam against clinical isolates of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the in vitro activity of cefepime combined with sulbactam against carbapenem-resistant clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp. The checkerboard method was used to determine whether combinations act synergistically against these strains. Twenty-three Acinetobacter baumannii and one Acinetobacter junii found to be carbapenem resistant were included in the study. The susceptibility results for cefepime and sulbactam were interpreted according to the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 were used as quality control strains. The combination of cefepime and sulbactam demonstrated the following interactions: 33.3% (8/24) synergism; 58.3% (14/24) partial synergism; 4.2% (1/24) additive; 4.2% (1/24) indifference; and no antagonism (minimum and maximum fractional inhibitory concentration index 0.25 and 1.5, respectively). According to our in vitro study results, combinations of cefepime with sulbactam have moderate synergistic activity against some carbapenem-resistant strains of Acinetobacter spp., which could be beneficial for the treatment of infections due to multidrug-resistant strains of Acinetobacter spp.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing 100853, PR China.
authors.forename: WeiHang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.forename: ZhaoXia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pei
mesh_terms: D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D040981:Acinetobacter baumannii / Q000187:drug effects; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D015780:Carbapenems / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000077723:Cefepime; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D013407:Sulbactam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018440:beta-Lactam Resistance
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015780:Carbapenems; D002511:Cephalosporins; D000077723:Cefepime; D013407:Sulbactam