Aztreonam: clinical and pharmacological characteristics at the present stage

One of the urgent problems of modern health care is the growing resistance of microorganisms to antibiotics, including carbapenems, which until recently were considered as the drugs of choice in the treatment of life-threatening infections. Enzymatic inactivation of antibiotics, including through the production of carbapenemase, is the main mechanism of resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. The treatment of these infections presents significant difficulties due to the extremely limited arsenal of effective drugs. Aztreonam is currently the first and only monocyclic beta-lactam antibiotic, monobactam, which is used in clinical practice for the treatment of infections caused by gram-negative bacteria. The data obtained in vitro and clinical observations are presented. These results justify the use of the drug in infections caused by a number of «problem» Gram-negative pathogens, including those resistant to carbapenems. Aztreonam has a high potential and should be used to treat patients with nosocomial infections – the focus of its use is Gram-negative bacteria-producers of metallo-beta-lactamases.