Ertapenem administered intravenously or subcutaneously for urinary tract infections caused by ESBL producing enterobacteriacea

Introduction. Ertapenem could be used to treat urinary tract infections (UTI) caused by ESBL producing enterobacteriacae (ESBL-E) and administered subcutaneously. Method. The authors made a retrospective study on adult patients treated with ertapenem administered intravenously or subcutaneously for UTI caused by ESBL-E, between May 2009 and August 2011 at the Chambery hospital, France. Results. Twenty-five patients were treated (13 cases of prostatitis, ten of pyelonephritis, two of cystitis) mostly caused by Escherichia coli (24 cases). Subcutaneous injections were administered to 20 patients and 23 were treated through outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT). All patients were cured at the end of the ertapenem therapy. Urine samples collected during treatment for 12 patients were sterile. Three months after the end of the treatment, five patients had relapsed, and six had developed a UTI caused by another bacteria. Conclusion. Ertapenem administered intravenously or subcutaneously could be an effective treatment for UTI caused by ESBL-E, especially using OPAT. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.