A RAPID SCREENING PROTOCOL FOR DETECTING PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS: A NOVEL APPROACH TO MITIGATE MULTIDRUG RESISTANCE

Abstract

The challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) underscores the complexities in managing multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections. This is escalating the need for straightforward and practical strategies to assess antibiotic interactions. The present study aimed to establish a rapid screening method for the identification of drug interactions using the disc diffusion (DD) technique, which was validated against the time-kill assay (TKA). A total of 100 bacterial isolates, including Acinetobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella spp., were assessed on Mueller-Hinton Agar (MHA) plates with antibiotics at various concentrations. The DD method identified synergistic interactions in 58 isolates, of which 55% (32 isolates) were confirmed by TKA, showing moderate concordance between the two methods. Similarly, among the 25 isolates exhibiting antagonistic effects as determined by DD, 56% (14 isolates) were validated through TKA. The findings highlight the reliability of the DD method as a simplified, low-cost preliminary screening tool for detecting antibiotic interactions, capable of delivering results as early as within 24 hours. This DD method thus presents a valuable instrument for identifying effective drug combinations in MDR infections, providing rapid and reliable results suitable for critical care environments, particularly in resource-limited settings. However, additional research incorporating more antibiotics and bacterial species is strongly recommended to validate these findings, not only in vitro but also in vivo. Integrating molecular techniques with the DD method could lead to a more targeted therapeutic approach and improved management of symptoms, particularly in the cases of MDR.