The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy
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J. Antimicrob. Chemother. · Jul 2012
ReviewColistin resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii: clinical reports, mechanisms and antimicrobial strategies.
Colistin is the last resort for treatment of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Unfortunately, resistance to colistin has been reported all over the world. The highest resistance rate was reported in Asia, followed by Europe. ⋯ Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies revealed that colistin monotherapy is unable to prevent resistance, and combination therapy might be the best antimicrobial strategy against colistin-resistant A. baumannii. Colistin/rifampicin and colistin/carbapenem are the most studied combinations that showed promising results in vitro, in vivo and in the clinic. New peptides showing good activity against colistin-resistant A. baumannii are also being investigated.
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J. Antimicrob. Chemother. · Jul 2012
Standardizing an in vitro procedure for the evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of wound dressings and the assessment of three wound dressings.
A wide selection of wound dressings is available on the market with varying claims of antimicrobial efficacy. A valid standard method for evaluation of their antimicrobial activity in vitro has not been established. In this study we suggest a standardized time-kill assay procedure for antimicrobial activity evaluation of wound dressings in order to make studies more comparable and reproducible. We also tested two silver-containing dressings and one propolis-containing dressing against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using our proposed procedure. ⋯ Based on our findings we suggest that a time-kill assay with a 1 cm(2) dressing is used for evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of wound dressings, and that the dressings should be exposed to a standardized inoculum of 1-1.5 × 10(6) cfu/mL with Mueller-Hinton broth as the most appropriate medium. PCD requires further research to establish its clinical value.
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J. Antimicrob. Chemother. · Jul 2012
Piperacillin/tazobactam (Tazocin™) seems to be no longer responsible for false-positive results of the galactomannan assay.
Galactomannan (GM) testing is extremely useful for diagnosing invasive aspergillosis in high-risk patients, but false-positive results have been reported in patients treated with piperacillin/tazobactam. The aims of this study are to test if the recent piperacillin/tazobactam (Tazocin™; Pfizer) preparation still contains GM, and if serum GM positivity in haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients receiving piperacillin/tazobactam can be attributed to this treatment. ⋯ Although some residual GM might still be present in piperacillin/tazobactam, currently available brand piperacillin/tazobactam preparations seem no longer responsible for false-positive GM results.