BACKGROUND Ertapenem is a once-a-day carbapenem and has excellent activity against many gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic, facultative, and anaerobic bacteria. The susceptibility of isolates of community-acquired bacteremia to ertapenem has not been reported yet. The present study assesses the in vitro activity of ertapenem against aerobic and facultative bacterial pathogens isolated from...

Ceftazidime-avibactam and ceftolozane-tazobactam are new antimicrobials with activity against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We present the first case of persistent P. aeruginosa bacteremia with in vitro resistance to these novel antimicrobials. A 68-year-old man with newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma was admitted to the medical intensive care unit for sepsis and right lower extr...

BACKGROUND Cefepime, piperacillin-tazobactam and meropenem are among the broadest-spectrum and most expensive antimicrobials. AIM To evaluate guidelines for appropriate use of these drugs. METHODS We developed guidelines for use of these antibiotics, and conducted a two-phase drug utilization evaluation. We included all patients who received one of the study drugs during two 3-month periods...

OBJECTIVES To describe the epidemiology, antimicrobial susceptibilities, treatment, and outcomes of intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired Gram-negative bacteremia. METHODS Patients with ICU-acquired Gram-negative bacteremia from 2004 to 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. Independent predictors of mortality were examined using multivariable Cox regression. RESULTS Seventy-eight cases of ICU-ac...

INTRODUCTION Knowledge of the etiology and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of uropathogens is important for determining the best treatment option. This study aimed to determine the distribution and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of bacterial strains isolated from adult male outpatients. METHODOLOGY Between November 2012 and April 2013, 3,105 community urine samples were analyzed fro...

The purpose of this randomized, multicenter, open-label study was to compare the continuous infusion of piperacillin-tazobactam with the standard intermittent infusion in 262 hospitalized patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections. Within 1 day of surgical intervention, eligible patients were randomized (1:1) to piperacillin-tazobactam 12 g/1.5 g administered continuously over 24 h or...

BACKGROUND Sporulation of Clostridium difficile during infection and persistence of spores within the gut could partly explain treatment failures and recurrence. However, the influence of antibiotics on sporulation is unclear. The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of ciprofloxacin, metronidazole, piperacillin/tazobactam, tigecycline, and vancomycin on C. difficile sporulation in...

BACKGROUND Inappropriate prescription of antibiotics may contribute towards higher levels antimicrobial resistance. A key intervention for improving appropriate antibiotic prescription is surveillance of prescription. This paper presents the results of a longitudinal surveillance of broad-spectrum antibiotic prescription in 5 public-sector hospitals in Singapore from 2006 to 2010. METHODOLOGY...

Strongyloidiasis is an emerging parasitic infection with intriguing epidemiology, presentation, and clinical management. We report a case of hyperinfection syndrome complicated by E. coli bacteremia and meningitis with one of the isolates showing a unique resistance pattern recently being recognized. This report describes the aspect of invasive bacterial infections in strongyloidiasis and highl...