Ceftolozane/Tazobactam Susceptibility Testing in Extended-Spectrum Betalactamase- and Carbapenemase-Producing Gram-Negative Bacteria of Various Clonal Lineages

Nowadays, multidrug-resistant bacteria are considered as an increasing serious threat to public health worldwide. Global and local surveillance data are helpful in the application of the most efficient antimicrobial agent in bacterial infections. In the current study, we aimed to analyze the activity of the previously cleared agent ceftolozane/ tazobactam (C/T) in African and European multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Susceptibility testing was performed on 147 extended-spectrum β-lactamase (107 Escherichia coli and 40 Klebsiella pneumoniae) and 103 carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria using Etest according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) clinical breakpoints. Among the extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing isolates, 91 Escherichia coli isolates (85%) and 23 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates (57.5%) were susceptible towards C/T whereas out of the 103 carbapenemase-producing isolates 102 (99.0%) were C/T-resistant. C/T should be included in susceptibility testing to fairly administer this antimicrobial agent in infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. It may be considered as a therapy option for infections caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing bacteria once susceptibility to this antimicrobial combination has been confirmed.