Susceptibility Testing for New Beta-Lactam/Beta-Lactamase Inhibitor Combinations: A Laboratory Guide
Ceftazidime-avibactam, meropenem-vaborbactam, and imipenem-relebactam offer broad Gram-negative activity including against certain carbapenemases, but variable effectiveness against oxacillinases and acquired resistance mechanisms necessitates susceptibility testing. This review provides practical guidance for clinical laboratories on implementing and reporting AST for these critical new antimicrobial combinations.
The original study
The Ins and Outs of Susceptibility Testing for New β-Lactam/β-Lactamase Inhibitor Combinations for Gram-Negative Organisms.
- Authors
- Dingle TC, Pitout J
- Journal
- Journal of clinical microbiology
- Type
- Journal Article, Review
- PMID
- 35387484
Original abstract
Ceftazidime-avibactam, meropenem-vaborbactam, and imipenem-relebactam are among the newest β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors (BL/BLIs) introduced to the North American antibiotic market. All have broad Gram-negative activity, including against certain carbapenemases. Despite this, susceptibility testing is warranted due to variable activity against certain β-lactamases (e.g., oxacillinases) and the presence of acquired resistance mechanisms in some isolates. Here, we discuss what we know about these new antimicrobial agents and how to navigate implementation of susceptibility testing and reporting of these agents in clinical laboratories.