Combination Fosfomycin and Meropenem Is Synergistic Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The combination prevented emergence of resistance that appeared when each drug was used alone.

Infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be extremely difficult to treat due to its virulence, its intrinsic and rapidly acquired antimicrobial resistance, and the frequency of immunocompromising comorbidities. These challenges are further compounded in high-inoculum or high-density infections, rendering monotherapy at high risk for failure.

Researchers tested a novel combination-therapy approach against P. aeruginosa in a high-inoculum (10⁸ colony-forming units [CFU]/mL) hollow-fiber infection model (HFIM) by examining meropenem (MER) and fosfomycin (FOS) alone and in combination against a well-characterized strain, PA01 (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC]: MER 0.5 mg/L, FOS 64 mg/L).

The frequency of resistance selection was approxima…

Reviewing Author

George Sakoulas, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParatek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.; AbbVie; Shionogi

Speaker’s BureauAllergan/AbbVie; Paratek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; Open Forum Infectious Diseases