Summary of Ceftaroline Activity against Pathogens in the United States, 2010: Report from the Assessing Worldwide Antimicrobial Resistance Evaluation (AWARE) Surveillance Program
ABSTRACTTheAssessingWorldwideAntimicrobialResistanceEvaluation (AWARE) surveillance program is a sentinel resistance monitoring system designed to track the activity of ceftaroline and comparator agents. In the United States, a total of 8,434 isolates were collected during the 2010 surveillance program from 65 medical centers distributed across the nine census regions (5 to 10 medical centers per region). All organisms were isolated from documented infections, including 3,055 (36.2%) bloodstream infections, 2,282 (27.1%) respiratory tract infections, 1,965 (23.3%) acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, 665 (7.9%) urinary tract infections, and 467 (5.5%) miscellaneous other infection sites. Ceftaroline was the most potent β-lactam agent tested against staphylococci. The MIC90values were 1 μg/ml for methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA; 98.4% susceptible) and 0.5 μg/ml for methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). Ceftaroline was 16- to 32-fold more potent than ceftriaxone against methicillin-susceptible staphylococcal strains. All staphylococcus isolates (S. aureusand CoNS) were inhibited at ceftaroline MIC values of ≤2 μg/ml. Ceftaroline also displayed potent activity against streptococci (MIC90, 0.015 μg/ml for beta-hemolytic streptococci; MIC90, 0.25 μg/ml for penicillin-resistantStreptococcus pneumoniae). Potent activity was also shown against Gram-negative pathogens (Haemophilus influenzae,Haemophilus parainfluenzae, andMoraxella catarrhalis). Furthermore, wild-type strains ofEnterobacteriaceae(non-extended-spectrum β-lactamase [ESBL]-producing strains and non-AmpC-hyperproducing strains) were often susceptible to ceftaroline. Continued monitoring through surveillance networks will allow for the assessment of the evolution of resistance as this new cephalosporin is used more broadly to provide clinicians with up-to-date information to assist in antibiotic stewardship and therapeutic decision making.