In vitro activity of ceftobiprole and comparator antibiotics against contemporary European isolates (2016–19)

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the susceptibility to ceftobiprole of clinical bacterial isolates obtained from hospitalized patients in Europe. METHODS: A total of 20 000 non-duplicate bacterial isolates were collected in 2016–19 from patients with documented infections at medical centres located in 17 countries in Europe. Bacterial identification was confirmed and susceptibility to ceftobiprole and comparator agents was tested using the EUCAST broth microdilution methodology and interpretive criteria by a central microbiology laboratory. RESULTS: Of the 20 000 isolates, 10 007 (50.0%) were Gram-positive and 9993 (50.0%) were Gram-negative. The most common species was Staphylococcus aureus (35.0%), followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (15.0%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (11.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11.0%), Escherichia coli (9.7%) and Haemophilus influenzae (3.0%). Overall, 99.7% (6981/7000) of S. aureus, including 99.5% (3483/3502) of MRSA, 97.8% (2941/3007) of S. pneumoniae, 100% (605/605) of H. influenzae and 76.3% (5492/7197) of Enterobacterales isolates were susceptible to ceftobiprole. Susceptibility to ceftobiprole was higher for isolates from northern and western Europe as compared with eastern and southern Europe. CONCLUSIONS: Ceftobiprole continues to exhibit potent and broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative clinical isolates from Europe, and as expected, with a slight north-to-south and west-to-east susceptibility gradient.