New combination to treat superbugs? Round robin evaluation – The MUTATE Study (cefepiMe sUlbacTAm sensiTivity tEst study) – UK hospital microbiology laboratories needed to participate

Alison Staples ANTRUK announcements, Donate

ANTRUK has been working since its formation in 2014 to deliver new treatment approaches for patients with antibiotic resistant Gram-negative infections. Such infections are on the rise in the UK and around the world; new ways to treat superbugs are urgently needed.

As part of an ANTRUK funded programme, Dr David Wareham and his colleagues at Queen Mary, University of London examined 1:1 combinations of carbapenem antibiotics with β-lactamase inhibitors to break resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. One of their findings was that combined cefepime and sulbactam appeared to have interesting properties. This work has been written up and accepted for publication in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, the house journal of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC).

We are now looking to extend Dr Wareham’s findings. We’re asking UK hospital microbiology labs to participate in the MUTATE study. The aim is to take commercially manufactured cefepime / sulbactam discs and examine these during sensitivity testing of clinical samples from hospitalized patients. The Protocol for the study is available on request.

If your lab is interested in being involved please email your interest to info@antibioticresearch.org.uk Our charity will pay £5 per clinical isolate tested up to 100 from each participating lab as well as any shipping costs for sending the isolates to a central repository at the University of Warwick.

This is an exciting study with great potential to treat superbugs. We are still looking for additional funding to ensure that sufficient labs can participate. Can you help?