Microbiological Assessment of Polymyxin B Components Tested Alone and in Combination.

We investigated the antimicrobial activity of four polymyxin B components, B1, B2, B3, and isoleucine (Ile)-B1, individually and in combination. B3 was the most active agent against all organisms tested except Acinetobacter baumannii, for which Ile-B1 was most active. One combination met the criteria for synergy, B3 plus Ile-B1.

An update on the arsenal for multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter infections: polymyxin antibiotics.

Objective: To review recent clinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data to optimize dosing regimens for polymyxin B and colistin for treatment of infections due to A. baumannii.

Methods: A literature search was performed using the search terms Acinetobacter, polymyxin, colistin, polymyxin B on MEDLINE.

To B or not to B, that is the question: is it time to replace colistin with polymyxin B?

The polymyxins-colistin and polymyxin B-are an increasingly important part of the antimicrobial arsenal given the rising rate of infections due to multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. Although the drugs have available since the 1950s, only recently have pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data been available to guide appropriate use of these drugs. Far more data and global clinical experience exist for colistin, available as the prodrug colistimethate sodium (CMS), compared with polymyxin B.

Polymyxins: wisdom does not always come with age.

We currently face a lack of new antimicrobial therapies in an era of increasingly common multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. The polymyxins have become last-line treatments for patients with MDR bacterial infections. An increasing body of published literature has attempted to answer questions about dosing, pharmacology, and susceptibility testing of these drugs, yet each takes for granted purity and potency of the 2 available polymyxin products.

Behind closed doors: medication storage and disposal in the home.

Background: More than half of all medications are inappropriately prescribed, dispensed, or sold and only 50% of patients take their medications correctly. Oftentimes, unwanted or expired medications are saved for later use, stored indefinitely, or disposed via the sink, toilet, or garbage.

Objective: To determine how residents in Cook County, Illinois, use, store, and dispose of their medications to assess the possible impact of these medications on health care and the environment.

How low can you go? Use of low- and standard-dose liposomal amphotericin B for treatment of invasive fungal infections.

Objectives: Recommended doses of liposomal amphotericin B (L-AMB) range from 3 to 6 mg/kg/day, but 1mg/kg/day may be equally effective and a lower cost alternative for many indications. The objective of this analysis was to assess indications and clinical outcomes of patients who received low-dose (1mg/kg/day rounded up in 50-mg increments) and standard-dose (≥2 mg/kg/day) L-AMB.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of adult L-AMB recipients with suspected invasive fungal infections (IFI) at a single center from 2006 to 2011.