Search

The objective of this study was to update a 2011 survey, conducted on behalf of the ESCMID Study Group for Antibiotic Policies (ESGAP), studying the availability of old but clinically useful antibiotics in North America, Europe and Australia. This follow-up survey was performed in 2015 in 40 countries among specialists from the pharmaceutical, infectious diseases and microbiology sectors in North America, Europe and Australia in order to assess the availability through usual marketing processes of 36 systemic antibiotics (addition of 3 antibiotics compared with the 2011 survey) selected for their ability to treat infections caused by resistant bacteria and their unique value for specific criteria. The questionnaire was sent by e-mail to national contacts belonging to ESGAP and ReAct networks. In all, 39 of the 40 countries participated in this survey. The number of available antibiotics differed considerably from one drug to another as well as from one country to another (e.g. 7 antibiotics available in Estonia, 24 in France). Overall, 25/36 selected antibiotics were marketed in 20/39 countries or less. From 2011 to 2015 (data available for both periods in 37 countries for 33 antibiotics), the number of available selected antibiotics increased in 13 countries and decreased in 17. In conclusion, despite the ongoing bacterial resistance crisis, the situation regarding the availability of ‘forgotten antibiotics’ has worsened since 2011. Urgent measures are needed to ensure better availability of these antibiotics on a global scale as a conservation measure to ensure sustainable and responsible use of antibiotics., peer-reviewed

International audience

Introduction: Acinetobacter baumannii is a causative agent of nosocomial infections; it is very difficult to identify and treat, which is a good explanation for its high lethality. Aim: To introduce the case of a patient with infective endocarditis of a prosthetic mitral valve caused by Acinetobacter baumannii, who survived this infection. The patient is a 65-year-old female. She came to the emergency room on April 10, 2012 with high fever, chills, dyspnea and clinical features of encephalopathy. Her anamnesis showed a surgical intervention of the mitral and aortic valves, one month ago. TEE revealed small hypoechogenic vegetations in the mitral valve. Three weeks after the hospitalization, the patient underwent another intervention, which consisted of another replacement of the mitral and aortic valves. The blood cultures were negative, while the cultures of the valves evidenced the growth of Acinetobacter baumannii. The bacteria was resistant to ampicillin, augmentin and imipenem. The patient was treated with imipenem in the beginning, but after the antibiogram she was treated with more effective antibiotics, such as piperacillin– tazobactam and ciprofloxacin. The patient had good response to this treatment (temperature normalized after 7 days, and TTE showed no verrucas after 6 weeks of therapy). The patient is presently in good condition according to periodic clinical and imaging follow up.