Efficacy of β-Lactams for Treating Experimentally Induced Pneumonia Due to a Carbapenem-Hydrolyzing Metallo-β-Lactamase-Producing Strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A rat pneumonia model was established with a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain that produced the plasmid-encoded metallocarbapenemase VIM-2. A significant decrease in lung bacterial titers was observed when imipenem, cefepime, ceftazidime, and piperacillin-tazobactam were given at the highest doses recommended for humans, despite their high MICs. Aztreonam at high doses produced a similar decrease in bacterial titers.