2025/10/21 by Lucía González-Pinto, María A. Gomis-Font, Gloria Pérez-Rodríguez +8 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · #Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria #Antibiotics Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy #Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment
paper · doi:10.1128/aac.01048-25
openalex publication_date 2025/10/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/22 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/22
ABSTRACT Cefiderocol/xeruborbactam is a novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination in which the siderophore-cephalosporin cefiderocol is paired with xeruborbactam, a broad-spectrum inhibitor that targets class A to D β-lactamases. We evaluated the contribution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistance mechanisms to cefiderocol/xeruborbactam susceptibility. A panel of 61 P . aeruginosa PAO1 derivatives was tested, including 20 knockout mutants representing key chromosomal resistance mechanisms (e.g., ampC overexpression, efflux upregulation, porin loss, iron uptake deficiency) and 41 transformants producing major circulating β-lactamases. Xeruborbactam was assessed in combination with cefiderocol and cefepime at 4 and 8 mg/L and compared with taniborbactam. Additionally, 99 cefiderocol-resistant clinical P. aeruginosa isolates were evaluated. Cefiderocol/xeruborbactam retained activity against most P. aeruginosa mutants with chromosomally encoded resistance mechanisms. However, the P. aeruginosa piuC- defective mutant yielded increased cefiderocol minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC = 2 mg/L), which could not be restored by xeruborbactam. Xeruborbactam significantly increased the activity of cefiderocol against the majority of P. aeruginosa PAO1 transformants, including those producing PER-1, SHV-12, KPC Ω-loop mutants, or NDM variants. Cefiderocol/xeruborbactam was active against IMP-type MBLs (which only weakly hydrolyze cefiderocol), including xeruborbactam-resistant enzymes. Relative to taniborbactam, xeruborbactam-based combinations showed similar activity against P. aeruginosa PAO1 transformants, but with slightly higher MIC values when tested against metallo-β-lactamase producers. This MIC increase in xeruborbactam-based combinations was partly because of the constitutive MexAB-OprM efflux in the P. aeruginosa background, as confirmed with P. aeruginosa PAO1 efflux mutants. Importantly, xeruborbactam restored susceptibility in 78% of 99 cefiderocol-resistant P. aeruginosa strains, reducing the MIC 90 from 64 to 4 mg/L. Cefiderocol/xeruborbactam shows promising activity against P. aeruginosa .