Abstract:
Background The detection rate of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is increasing year by year. Previous studies have shown that sulbactam combined with carbapenems just has a synergistic effect on certain carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Whether this difference in efficacy is related to the production of carbapenemases by Acinetobacter baumannii remains unclear.
Objective To study the β-lactamase produced by Acinetobacter baumannii resistant to carbapenem antibiotics on the synergistic effect of Sulbactam combined with Carbapenems, and provide evidence for the application of this combined medication in clinical practices.
Methods The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the antibacterial agents such as Imipenem, Meropenem, Cefoperazone/Sulbactam, Piperacillin, Tazobactam, Ceftazidime, Ampicillin and Sulbactam against 102 clinically isolated carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains was determined using the AGAR dilution method; the synergistic effects of Sulbactam + Meropenem and Sulbactam + Imipenem on carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains were tested separately with Punnett square; the β-lactamase production by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii was analyzed by isoelectric focusing electrophoresis, PCR amplification, and DNA sequencing.
Results Meropenem + Sulbactam and Imipenem + Sulbactam had a synergistic effect (FICI ≤ 0.5) in 21.57% and 12.75% strains, additive effect (FICI>0.5, ≤ 1) in 71.57% and 84.31% strains, and an unrelated effect (FICI>1, ≤ 4) in 6.86% and 2.94% strains, respectively; no strains showed antagonistic effect (FICI>4). All 102 carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains produced OXA-23 and OXA-51 carbapenemase, of which 19 strains produced OXA-58 carbapenemase, and 13 strains also produced GES-5 carbapenemase. Among CRABs that simultaneously produced OXA-23 carbapenemase, OXA-51 carbapenemase and OXA-58 carbapenemase, the combination of Sulbactam + Carbapenemantibiotics had the highest synergistic effect, reaching 56.25% (9/16). The combination of Sulbactam + Carbapenem antibiotics showed no synergistic effect among CRAB strains produced GES-5 carbapenemase.
Conclusion The combination of Carbapenemantibiotics + Sulbactam shows synergistic effect in vitro on some Acinetobacter baumannii which produces OXA-type carbapenase, especially on the strains produced OXA-23 + OXA-51 + OXA- 58, but no synergistic effect on Acinetobacter baumannii produced GES-5 carbapenase is found.