Antibiotic penetration into epithelial lining fluid of mechanically ventilated patients with VAP and CAP.

Pneumonia is the most common infection in critically ill patients and is diagnosed in 10% of all patients with as much as 35% of pneumonia caused by a resistant pathogen. Uncertainty relating to antibiotic penetration into the site of infection is present with many agents. For example, ceftazidime is reported to have only 20.6 + 8.9% penetration into epithelial lining fluid (ELF), the infection site in pneumonia.

This project will use intensive plasma sampling coupled with repeated ELF sampling via bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) to characterise the precise time-course of penetration into the ELF of antimicrobials that are recommended by Australian guidelines for both ventilator-associated (meropenem and piperacillin) and community-acquired pneumonia (ceftriaxone and penicillin-G).

Relevant Publications

1. Antibiotic dosing for multidrug-resistant pathogen pneumonia, Abdul-Aziz, M.H., Lipman, J. and Roberts, J.A. Curr Opin Infect Dis, 2017, 30:231-239 DOI:10.1097/QCO.0000000000000348