What is it about?
The 'ESKAPE' bacteria (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter species) are responsible for many hard-to-treat, antibiotic-resistant infections. Chloramphenicol is an old, broad-spectrum antibiotic abandoned in rich countries because of a rare but fatal side effect on the bone marrow, yet still widely used in low-income countries. We reviewed laboratory data published in the 21st century on how well chloramphenicol works against ESKAPE pathogens. Activity was good against Gram-positive bacteria and less favourable against Gram-negative ones.
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Why is it important?
With multidrug-resistant bacteria on the rise, forgotten antibiotics may regain a role. This review offers a data-based starting point to reconsider chloramphenicol, especially in settings where it is cheap and available, and against resistant Gram-positive infections.
Perspectives
I have always been interested in 'old' antibiotics: they are inexpensive, well known and often still active. Reassessing them with modern eyes is one of the most pragmatic answers to antimicrobial resistance, especially for low-resource countries.
Professor Stefano Di Bella
Universita degli Studi di Trieste
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Could chloramphenicol be used against ESKAPE pathogens? A review ofin vitrodata in the literature from the 21st century, Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, January 2014, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1586/14787210.2014.878647.
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