In Vitro Activity of Rifabutin and Rifampin against Antibiotic-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae

We recently reported that the antimicrobial activity of rifabutin against Acinetobacter baumannii is best modeled by the use of RPMI for susceptibility testing. Here, we define the effects of medium on the susceptibility and frequency of resistance emergence in a panel of A. baumannii, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates. Only A. baumannii was hypersusceptible to rifabutin and using a Galleria mellonella infection model. , the frequency of resistance emergence was greater when the bacteria were selected on RPMI versus tryptic soy agar (TSA) or Mueller-Hinton II (MHII) agar plates. However, the frequency of resistance emergence was lower than in the RPMI condition. Rifabutin has been recently described as a potential adjunctive therapy for antibiotic-resistant A. baumannii infections due to hypersensitivity in iron-depleted media, which may more closely mimic an environment. Here, we report that this hyperactivity is specific for A. baumannii, rather than being a general effect for other pathogens.