Comparative in vitro bactericidal activity between cefepime and ceftazidime, alone and associated with amikacin, against carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains

Fifteen unique isolates of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa were selected for time-kill studies to assess the bactericidal activity of cefe pime (CFP) and ceftazidime (CZD) (at 4 and 16 mu g/mL), alone and associate d with amikacin (AMK) (4 mu g/mL). CFP proved more active than CZD (p < 0.0 5, Student's t test). Bactericidal activity after 24-h incubation was only achieved by the combination of CFP (16 mu g/mL) plus AMK. The higher in vit ro activity of cefepime over that of ceftazidime against imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa strains highlights the differences of these drugs beyond Ent erobacter spp. and Staphylococcus aureus. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. Al l rights reserved.