Double-Carbapenem Therapy for Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae

The limited treatment options available for carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC) have made it a formidable pathogen. Previously we have shown the enhanced activity of pharmacodynamically optimized doripenem against KPC. Capitalizing on KPC's increased affinity for ertapenem, we evaluated the efficacy of a combination of ertapenem and doripenem in both an in vitro chemostat and an in vivo murine thigh infection model. Overall, the combination of doripenem plus ertapenem demonstrated enhanced efficacy over either agent alone.