In vitro and in vivo Activity of Combinations of Polymyxin B with Other Antimicrobials Against Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Purpose: To study the in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of polymyxin B (PB) and other five antimicrobial agents, including imipenem (IMP), meropenem (MEM), tigecycline (TGC), sulbactam (SUL), and rifampicin (RIF), alone or in combination against carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB). Methods: Microbroth dilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ten strains of CRAB against six antibacterial drugs, and the checkerboard method was used to determine the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI). A mouse pneumonia model was established by intranasal instillation of Ab5075 to evaluate the antibacterial activity in vivo. Results: The resistance rate of ten CRAB strains to IMP, MEM, and SUL was 100%, that to PB and TGC was 0%, and that to RIF was 20%. When PB was used in combination with the other five antibiotics in vitro, it mainly showed synergistic and additive effects on CRAB. The synergistic effect of PB and RIF was maximal, followed by MEM and IMP but was weak with SUL and TGC. In vivo, compared to the model group (untreated with antibiotics), treatment group (six antibiotics alone and PB combined with the other five antibiotics) reduced the bacterial load in the lung tissue and the serum inflammatory factors (IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha). The bacterial load and the inflammatory factors of the combined group decreased significantly than that of the single group (P<0.05). The IL-6 and TNF-alpha values of the PB combined with the RIF group were significantly lower than the two drugs used individually. Conclusion: The combination of PB and IMP, MEM, and RIF exerted robust in vitro synergistic effects on CRAB isolates. The combination of PB and the other five antimicrobial agents had a better effect in the mouse pneumonia model than single agent, while the combination of PB and RIF had the best effect.

Automated summary

The study demonstrated that polymyxin B in combination with other five antimicrobial agents showed synergistic effects against carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in vitro, and the combination therapy was more effective in reducing bacterial load and inflammatory factors in a mouse pneumonia model compared to single agent therapy. Among the combinations, polymyxin B combined with rifampicin had the best effect.