The in vitro effecteffect of new combinations of carbapenem-ßlactamase inhibitors for MycobacteriumabscessusMycobacterium abscessus

As new treatment alternatives for Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC) are urgently needed, we determined the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for novel carbapenem combinations, including imipenem-relebactam and tebipenem-avibactam against 98 MABC isolates by broth microdilution. The MIC50 was reduced from 16 to 8 mg/L by adding relebactam to imipenem, while the addition of avibactam to tebipenem showed a more pronounced reduction from 256 to 16 mg/L, representing a promising non-toxic, oral treatment option for further exploration.

Automated summary

This study found that adding relebactam to imipenem and avibactam to tebipenem significantly reduced the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against MABC. These findings suggest that these novel carbapenem combinations could be potential non-toxic, oral treatment options for MABC.