Bloodstream infections caused by carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae: a clinical perspective

Dissemination of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CP-Kp) has caused a public health crisis that can be paralleled with that caused by the spread of MRSA. CP-Kps, being multidrug-resistant, mainly affect patients with severe underlying conditions in the acute-healthcare setting. CP-Kps are responsible for a variety of life-threatening infections including bacteremia and pneumonia. The shortage of therapeutic options has forced clinicians to use colistin as well as tigecycline, a novel bacteriostatic agent. Although both drugs are generally active in vitro against CP-Kps, therapeutic failures, especially in bacteremias, are quite common. The authors suggest here, after reviewing the literature, that use of the latter drugs should be re-assessed and optimized. The authors have also summarized experimental and clinical data indicating that exploitation of the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic features of carbapenems may provide solutions in bloodstream infections caused by CP-Kps with low-level resistance to the latter drugs. Most importantly, there is evidence that monotherapy must be avoided.