New Agent Ceftolozane/Tazobactam for the Treatment of Superbug - Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Restoring the Miracle

Objective: To compare in vitro activity of Ceftolozane/tazobactam and Imipenem against multi-drug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa from various clinical specimens.

Place of Study: Study was conducted in department of Pharmacology, Ziauddin University and isolates were collected from Microbiology department of Ziauddin hospital, Nazimabad campus, Karachi.

Methodology: It was a Quasi experimental study in which total 176 isolates of P. aeruginosa was collected from which 97 isolates was MDR P. aeruginosa MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) isolates were collected from various specimens such as pus, tracheal aspiration, wound swab, blood and urine. Samples were processed as per procedures interpreted by Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) guidelines 2018. Susceptibility of MDR P. aeruginosa against Ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) and Imipenem was performed by E-test strip method. Results were interpreted by (CLSI) guidelines. Data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.

Results: The maximum number of MDR P. aeruginosa was isolated from pus (33.1%) followed by tracheal aspiration (20.6%). C/T showed 60% susceptibility whereas Imipenem showed 19% susceptibly to P. aeruginosa. In vitro activity of C/T was found to be superior as compared to Imipenem against MDR P. aeruginosa with E-test strip method (P-value = <0.0001).

Conclusion: In vitro activity of C/T was found to be better against MDR P. aeruginosa compared to Imipenem. This combination has a low tendency to induce resistance, especially against Gram-negative organisms, so it is an initiative of a new phase in the world of complicated infections.