In Vitro Activity of Colistin (Polymyxin E) against 3,480 Isolates of Gram-Negative Bacilli Obtained from Patients in Canadian Hospitals in the CANWARD Study, 2007-2008

The in vitro activity of colistin was evaluated versus 3,480 isolates of gram-negative bacilli using CLSI broth microdilution methods. The MIC90 of colistin was ≤2 μg/ml against a variety of clinically important gram-negative bacilli, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All multidrug-resistant (n = 76) P. aeruginosa isolates were susceptible to colistin (MIC, ≤2 μg/ml). These data support a role for colistin in the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa.