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The emergence of extremely drug-resistant (XDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has highlighted the need for new antimicrobial compounds to treat patients with TB. Now, researchers in the U.S. and South Africa have shown that the cephalosporin ceftazidime plus the beta-lactamase inhibitor avibactam (CAV) — a combination recently approved by the FDA to treat complicated intra-abdominal and urinary-tract infections — could be effective against TB.
The investigators identified all current antibacterials with high intrapulmonary concentrations and screened them for potential activity against Mtb. Although neither ceftazidime nor avibactam alone demonstrated bactericidal activity, a combination of the two was highly bactericidal in vi…