BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Carbapenems are beta-lactam antibiotics, presently considered as most potent agents for treating multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacilli infections. In India carbapenems available for use are meropenem and imipenem, introduced recently. Resistance to these has been reported in a few bacteria especially Pseudomonas spp. We therefore retrospectively evaluated the anti...

INTRODUCTION Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing threat in hospitalized patients, and inappropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy is known to adversely affect outcomes in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The aim of this study was to evaluate antimicrobial usage, incidence, etiology, and antimicrobial resistance trends for prominent nosocomial pathogens causing ventilator-associate...

OBJECTIVES SMART (Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends) is an ongoing study to monitor worldwide antimicrobial resistance trends among aerobic and facultatively anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) isolated from intra-abdominal infections. This 2004 report summarizes the most recently completed annual data from SMART. METHODS During 2004, 81 medical centres from 28 countries ...

Antipseudomonal carbapenems have played a useful role in our antimicrobial armamentarium for 20 years. However, a review of their use during that period creates concern that their clinical effectiveness is critically dependent on attainment of an appropriate dosing range. Unfortunately, adequate carbapenem dosing is missed for many reasons, including benefit/risk misconceptions, a narrow therap...

OBJECTIVES Class C β-lactamases are prevalent among Enterobacteriaceae; however, these enzymes are resistant to inactivation by commercially available β-lactamase inhibitors. In order to find novel scaffolds to inhibit class C β-lactamases, the comparative efficacy of monocyclic β-lactam antibiotics (aztreonam and the siderophore monosulfactam BAL30072), the bridged monobactam β-lactamase inhib...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The oprD mutation and AmpC overproduction are the main mechanisms of intrinsic resistance to carbapenems such as imipenem and meropenem in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, we investigated intrinsic resistance to carbapenems including mutation of oprD and AmpC overproduction in a carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa isolated from a burn patie...

BACKGROUND Acinetobacter baumannii, an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen that can cause significant morbidity and mortality, has emerged as a worldwide problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for mortality in patients with A. baumannii bacteremia. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively evaluated 118 patients who had A. baumannii bacteremia between July 2003 and Decem...

OBJECTIVE To analyze the profile of patients with microorganisms resistant to carbapenems, and the prevalence of the enzyme Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase in interobacteriaceae. METHODS Retrospective descriptive study. From the isolation in bacteriological tests ordered by clinicians, we described the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with enterobacteria resistants...

OBJECTIVES To characterize the mechanisms involved in reduced susceptibility to carbapenems in two Enterobacter cloacae clinical isolates. METHODS Two E. cloacae isolates recovered from different regions in Germany and showing reduced susceptibility to carbapenems were analysed. Susceptibility testing, conjugation, transformation assays, plasmid analysis, sequencing and molecular typing using...

New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-1) is an enzyme that hydrolyses a wide range of β-lactam antibiotics, including most carbapenems, leading to antimicrobial resistance. The development novel NDM-1 inhibitor for use in combination with carbapenems may help combat drug-resistant pathogens. Twenty compounds were designed based on the structural features active site inhibit bacterial and protect a...