Clinical Implications Surrounding the Challenges of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing for Novel Gram-Negative Agents

Abstract

Abstract The rise in gram-negative antimicrobial resistance worldwide has led to the approval of novel gram-negative antimicrobial agents active against various multidrug-resistant pathogens. Despite this, clinical use of these agents is often limited by the lack of access to timely antimicrobial susceptibility results. Much of this has largely been due to challenges in performing and adopting antimicrobial susceptibility testing by clinical laboratories in accordance with strict regulatory requirements. The absence of antimicrobial susceptibility results can interfere with antimicrobial stewardship efforts in facilitating early, appropriate antimicrobial use to treat multidrug-resistant gram-negative infections, therefore compromising the outcomes of treatment. We advocate for a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to address realistic challenges involving access to antimicrobial susceptibility testing for these newly approved agents to ensure this data is available to guide clinical treatment decisions.