In Vivo Efficacy of Simulated Human Dosing Regimens of Prolonged-Infusion Doripenem against Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae

Carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC) bacteria are rapidly becoming one of the most detrimental drug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens. Doripenem is the newest FDA-approved carbapenem that has the greatest in vitro potency against a wide range of Gram-negative organisms, including multidrug-resistant organisms. Previous work in an animal model has shown efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MICs above the current breakpoints of susceptibility. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of 1-g and 2-g dose prolonged infusions of doripenem against KPC isolates in both an immunocompetent and neutropenic murine thigh model. Seven clinical KPC isolates (broth microdilution [BMD] MIC range, 4 to 32 mu g/ml; Etest MIC range, 3 to >32 mu g/ml) were used. After infection, groups of mice were administered doripenem doses previously shown to simulate the exposures observed in humans after the administration of 1 or 2 g every 8 h as a 4-h infusion. In immunocompromised mice, 1- and 2-g doses of doripenem achieved bacteriostasis against isolates with MICs up to and including 8 mu g/ml and 16 mu g/ml, respectively. In immunocompetent animals, statistically significant reductions in the number of CFU were observed with overall decreases of approximately 1 log (P < 0.05). While carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae continues to decrease our meager supply of active agents, the ability of doripenem to produce CFU reductions in the presence of white blood cells (WBCs) using humanized exposures suggests the potential utility of this agent in combination against this increasingly problematic pathogen.