[New antibiotics for severe infections due to multidrug-resistant pathogens : Definitive treatment and escalation]

Multidrug-resistant pathogens often lead to treatment failure of antimicrobial regimens. After a period of imbalance between the occurrence/spread of resistance mechanisms and the development of new substances, some new substances have meanwhile been approved and many more are currently undergoing clinical testing. They are particularly effective against specific resistance mechanisms/pathogens and should be preserved for definitive treatment of an isolated pathogen. In the absence of alternatives reserve antibiotics, such as aztreonam and colistin have experienced a renaissance. They are again used in special infection scenarios and clinically tested in combination with new substances. Despite the introduction and development of new substances the building of resistance will at some time also render these (at least partially) ineffective. Therefore, their implementation must be carried out according to the antibiotic or infectious diseases stewardship.