Logo image
Dual β-lactam synergy in Enterococcus faecalis and its relationship with penicillin-ceftriaxone infective endocarditis treatment outcomes
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Dual β-lactam synergy in Enterococcus faecalis and its relationship with penicillin-ceftriaxone infective endocarditis treatment outcomes

April Gregson, Shakeel Mowlaboccus, Sruthi Mamoottil Sudeep, Sophia Rizzo, Jignasa Purani, Elena Martinez, Geoffrey Coombs, Indy Sandaradura and Genevieve McKew
Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, dkaf377
2025
PMID: 41105431
pdf
Published616.81 kBDownloadView
Published (Version of Record)CC BY-NC V4.0 Open Access

Abstract

ampicillin penicillin g ceftriaxone bacterial endocarditis penicillin enterococcus faecalis treatment outcome
Objectives Benzylpenicillin with ceftriaxone is used for outpatient antimicrobial therapy of Enterococcus faecalis infective endocarditis (EFIE) due to poor stability of aminopenicillins. The aim was to correlate the impact of benzylpenicillin-ceftriaxone synergy on EFIE treated with benzylpenicillin-ceftriaxone, and investigate whether simpler phenotypic methods can predict synergy. Methods Clinical outcomes of a retrospective cohort of EFIE patients were correlated with treatment and synergy. Isolates were assessed for synergy using the checkerboard method, compared with double disc diffusion (DDD) and layered and crossed gradient diffusion strip (GDS) tests, with sensitivity and specificity of these methods calculated. Results Thirty-eight episodes of EFIE in 34 patients were included; the majority received benzylpenicillin-ceftriaxone alone (n = 16) or in sequence (n = 12; any benzylpenicillin-ceftriaxone n = 28), and 10 received other regimens. There was no statistical difference between any benzylpenicillin-ceftriaxone versus other therapies on outcomes, nor between benzylpenicillin-ceftriaxone synergy and outcome. GDS was an unreliable predictor of checkerboard synergy; DDD was reasonable. Five isolates lacked benzylpenicillin-ceftriaxone synergy (one also lacking ampicillin-ceftriaxone synergy); these all had high-level ceftriaxone resistance [zone diameter 6 mm, or broth microdilution (BMD) MIC >512 mg/L]. Most isolates from relapse cases developed reduced zone diameters to ceftriaxone. Two isolates lacking synergy had the same mutation near the ceftriaxone response regulator (CroR) binding site in the pbp4 promoter region. Conclusions Ceftriaxone susceptibility, either MIC <512 mg/L by BMD or disc zone diameter >6 mm, is the best predictor of ampicillin-ceftriaxone and particularly benzylpenicillin-ceftriaxone synergy in E. faecalis. There was no clear relationship between the absence of benzylpenicillin-ceftriaxone synergy and outcome in this highly comorbid cohort.

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

Metrics

1 File views/ downloads
9 Record Views

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Citation topics
1 Clinical & Life Sciences
1.23 Antibiotics & Antimicrobials
1.23.1442 Infective Endocarditis
Web Of Science research areas
Infectious Diseases
Microbiology
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
ESI research areas
Pharmacology & Toxicology
Logo image