Aim: To assess the effect of colistin-glycopeptide combination against a multidrug-resistant strain of Acinetobacter baumannii. Materials & methods: We used in vitro procedures (Etest method, checkerboard test and kill-time assays) and a mouse model of a carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii pneumonia. Results: The colistin-teicoplanin combination allowed a 74% increase of the survival in the mouse model within the 4 days following bacterial inoculation as compared with saline or colistin alone (p = 0.06). Concurrently, the colistin-vancomycin combination presented a similar efficacy as compared with saline or colistin alone in the mouse model. Conclusion: According to those preliminary results, using the colistin-teicoplanin combination in therapeutic deadlocks encountered in certain multiresistant A. baumannii pneumonia could be envisaged if the results are confirmed.
Keywords: antimicrobial combinations; colistin; experimental infections; glycopeptides; multidrug resistance; pneumonia; teicoplanin; vancomycin.