Introduction: aztreonam: continued efficacy and safety

Article Abstract:

The antibiotic aztreonam was introduced in 1987 to treat infections caused by gram-negative bacteria, and has maintained its effectiveness and safety over the past years. Certain types of bacteria, including Pseudomonas, Citrobacter freundii, and Enterobacter cloacae have developed resistance to this antimicrobial agent, although aztreonam is still effective against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Proteus, Morganella morganii, Providencia, Serratia marcescens, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Aztreonam has few adverse effects on the liver and ear, and does not interact with penicillin. Because it is inactive against gram-positive bacteria that inhabit the intestine, aztreonam treatment is not associated with intestinal problems. Aztreonam therapy has not been reported to cause anaphylaxis, an allergic hypersensitivity reaction of the body to a foreign protein, or serious infections by fungi or enterococcus. This antibiotic may be particularly useful in patients with an increased risk of liver or ear toxicity, such as the elderly and patients with impaired kidney function, and in patients with respiratory tract infection and neutropenia, a low number of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell. Aztreonam may be used alone when a gram-negative infection has been diagnosed. It may also be combined with other antibiotics that are effective against gram-positive bacteria to maximize antimicrobial therapy. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

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Aztreonam in the prevention and treatment of infection in neutropenic cancer patients

Article Abstract:

Bacterial infections in cancer patients with neutropenia, which is a decrease in neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, are often difficult to treat. No antibiotic regimen has been shown to be effective and safe in treating these infections, which in this population, are mainly caused by gram-negative bacilli. Studies have been carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of various new antibiotics, including the monolactam drug aztreonam. This new antimicrobial agent is active against gram-negative bacteria, and has been shown to be effective alone or in combination with other beta lactam antibiotics in treating gram-negative infections in neutropenic cancer patients. When an aminoglycoside antibiotic was combined with aztreonam, there was no further improvement over the effectiveness of aztreonam alone. Because of the toxic effects of aminoglycosides on the ear and kidney, one study showed that aminoglycosides can be replaced with aztreonam in a combined antibiotic regimen. Because aztreonam causes minimal disruption of the normal anaerobic bacterial growth within the intestine, it can be used to prevent infection. The results show that aztreonam is useful in treating fever-associated neutropenic cancer patients, although further investigation is needed. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Complications and side effects, Cancer, Neutropenia

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Aztreonam activity, pharmacology, and clinical uses

Article Abstract:

Aztreonam is the first monolactam antibiotic used to treat infections caused by gram-negative bacteria, and has been shown to be both highly effective and safe. The characteristics of this drug are attributed to its unique chemical properties and mechanism of action, which are very different from those of the bicyclic beta lactam antibiotics, such as penicillin and cephalosporin. Aztreonam is given directly into the circulation and reaches levels in the blood that are effective against the bacteria Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This monolactam antibiotic is widely distributed throughout the body and eliminated by the kidneys. Hence, the dose of this antimicrobial agent should thus be adjusted in patients with kidney failure. Aztreonam has been used to treat aerobic, gram-negative bacterial infections of the urinary tract, lower respiratory tract, abdomen, blood, uterine membrane lining and connective tissue, skin and skin structures. Aztreonam may be combined with other antibiotics that are effective against gram-positive and anaerobic bacteria, to provide optimal antimicrobial therapy against infections caused by several bacterial types or infections of unknown cause. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Antibiotics

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