ATP Bioluminescence Assay To Evaluate Antibiotic Combinations against Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Berta Puig-Collderram, Sandra Domene-Ochoa, Maria Salvà-Comas, M. Montero, Xavier Durán, Juan R. González, Santiago Grau, Antonio Oliver, Juan Pablo Horcajada, Eduardo Padilla, Concepción Segura, Núria Prim
Abstract
Combining antibiotics is one of the few strategies available to overcome infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Time-kill curves are usually performed to evaluate antibiotic combinations, but obtaining results is too laborious to be routinely performed in a clinical laboratory. Our results support the utility of an ATP measurement assay using bioluminescence to determine the effectiveness of antibiotic combinations in time-kill curves. This method may be implemented in the clinical laboratory workflow as it is less laborious and faster than the conventional colony count method. Shortening the obtention of results to 24 h would also allow an earlier guided combined antibiotic treatment.