1594. Ceftolozane–Tazobactam Demonstrates Higher In Vitro Susceptibility than Ceftazidime–Avibactam Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Respiratory Tract of Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patients

Background Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a commonly isolated pathogen in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). Antimicrobial resistance is an escalating problem due to chronic colonization and frequent antimicrobial exposure. Ceftolozane–tazobactam (C/T) and ceftazidime–avibactam (CZA) exhibit promising activity against antimicrobial-resistant organisms, including P. aeruginosa. In this study, we compared in vitro activity of C/T and CZA against P. aeruginosa isolated from respiratory cultures obtained from adult patients with CF. Methods This is a retrospective study of respiratory cultures positive for P. aeruginosa collected from adult CF patients between January 1, 2015 to November 30, 2018. The first isolate per patient per year that underwent susceptibility testing for C/T, CZA, and colistin were included in the study. All isolates underwent in-house susceptibility testing for 9 anti-pseudomonal agents according to the methodology established by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Susceptibility testing of C/T, CZA, and colistin were performed by a reference lab. Isolates were classified into 3 drug-resistant categories using the following definition: multidrug-resistant (MDR) non-susceptible (NS) to ≥1 agent in ≥3 different antimicrobial classes, extensive drug-resistant (XDR) NS to 4 or 5 different classes, and pan drug-resistant (PDR) NS to all 6 classes except colistin. Results Forty-two P. aeruginosa respiratory isolates from 32 patients with CF were included. The overall susceptibility to C/T and CZA was 59.5% and 42.9%, respectively. Thirty-eight (90%) isolates were considered MDR with susceptibility of 55.3% to C/T and 44.7% to CZA. Among the 11 XDR isolates, susceptibility to C/T was 81.8% vs. CZA 72.7%. Susceptibility to C/T vs. CZA was also higher (37.5% vs. 25%) among the 24 PDR isolates. Conclusion Among P. aeruginosa isolated from CF respiratory cultures, C/T appears to have better in vitro activity compared with CZA, and remained true among isolates considered XDR and PDR. These results suggest using C/T while awaiting susceptibilities when standard anti-pseudomonal agents cannot be used. Future studies evaluating clinical outcomes for the treatment of pulmonary CF exacerbations are needed to assess the applicability of in vitro susceptibility data. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.