Comparison of Polymyxin B, Tigecycline, Cefepime, and Meropenem MICs for KPC-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae by Broth Microdilution, Vitek 2, and Etest

Abstract

We report MIC agreement and error rates between broth microdilution (BMD), Vitek 2, and Etest against 48 clinical KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates for polymyxin B, tigecycline, cefepime, and meropenem. Both commercial testing methods were useful for tigecycline testing; Etest provided a conservative estimate of polymyxin B susceptibility. We suggest that laboratories consider the supplemental use of reference BMD or Etest for cefepime and meropenem for susceptibility testing of KPC-producing K. pneumoniae, as Vitek 2 did not provide reliable results.