The Meropenem Yearly Susceptibility Test Information Collection antimicrobial susceptibility program in Spain: a...

Area of Science:

• Clinical microbiology
• Infectious diseases
• Antimicrobial stewardship

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global health concern.
• Meropenem is a critical carbapenem antibiotic used for serious infections.
• Surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility is essential for guiding treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the in vitro activity of meropenem and comparators against clinical isolates in Spain.
• To assess the impact of meropenem use on bacterial susceptibility over a 5-year period.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 4022 clinical isolates from 7 Spanish centers (1999-2003).
• In vitro susceptibility testing of meropenem and 5 comparator agents.
• Exclusion of bacteria intrinsically resistant to meropenem.

Main Results:

• High meropenem susceptibility (>98%) observed in key Enterobacteriaceae like Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
• Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae remained fully susceptible to meropenem.
• Meropenem and piperacillin/tazobactam showed high activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Acinetobacter baumannii demonstrated variable carbapenem susceptibility.

Conclusions:

• No significant decrease in carbapenem susceptibility was observed during the study period.
• Clinical use of meropenem in these Spanish centers did not increase resistance in the evaluated microorganisms.
• Meropenem demonstrated sustained efficacy against a broad spectrum of common clinical pathogens.