Ceftazidime-avibactam against a KPC-2 β-lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in vivo

What is it about?

This study showed that ceftazidime-avibactam was antibacterial against KPC-2 producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in an animal abscess infection model. From this we can infer that avibactam reaches the site where the bacteria are in the abscess in the abdominal cavity and that it inhibits the KPC-2 β-lactamase sufficiently to protect ceftazidime from hydrolysis and thereby allowing it to exert its bactericidal activity.

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Why is it important?

KPC-2 is a β-lactamase that causes resistance to carbapenems (and to other β-lactam antibiotics, including ceftazidime). Until recently there have been few antibacterial drugs available to treat infections by bacteria that produce KPC-2, because many of those bacteria are also resistant to multiple other classes of antibiotic than just β--lactams. Thus any demonstration of activity of antibiotics in model systems against KPC-2 producing bacteria is potentially medically important.

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