The rampant emergence of antimicrobial resistance, particularly amongst Gram negative organisms, has called for both the discovery of novel agents but also for a review of therapeutics thought to have been long lost in this battle. Enter, the "BLBLIs or BLICs'. In this episode Vin and Ruan speak with the 1st author of the publication "Appropriate use of the new β-lactam - β-lactamase inhibitor combination agents: Ceftazidime-avibactam and Ceftolozane-tazobactam in South Africa", Professor Adrian Brink, and receive a welcomed masterclass on this interesting group of antimicrobials.

About our Guest:

Professor Adrian Brink is Head of the Division: Medical Microbiology, and member of the Institute of Infectious Disease & Molecular Medicine,  Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town and the National Health Laboratory Services, Groote Schuur hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. 

Prof Brink was founding President of the Federation of Infectious Diseases Societies of Southern Africa and is the founder and currently co-chairs the South African Antibiotic Stewardship Program (SAASP). Prof Brink currently serves on the South African Minister of Health’s Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on Antimicrobial Resistance and representing Africa, is a member of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases International Affairs Subcommittee.

His is main research interests are the clinical and molecular epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant infections, the mechanisms of resistance as a confounder in antibiotic stewardship, the design and implementation of large-scale antibiotic stewardship, diagnostic stewardship and infection prevention and control interventions in low- and middle-income countries. His interests also include the protective, metabolic and immune functions of the gastrointestinal and vaginal biome including the resistome and metabolome. 

Resources from this episode

Best practices: Appropriate use of Beta-lactam/Beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations Ceftazidime-Avibactam and Ceftolozane-Tazobactam)

WHO Priority Pathogens List

Table 1: Data on inhibitor classes, inhibitory mechanisms, and current clinical trial status, Kar D et al., 2023.

Table 6: β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) combinations in clinical trials or submitted for regulatory approval, Butler et al., 2023

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