Estimated undertreatment of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections in eight low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study

A study reveals that despite the urgent health threat of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative (CRGN) bacterial infections, they are rarely detected and often untreated due to inadequate health system capacity. The study found that in eight large LMICs, there were 1,496,219 CRGN infections in 2019, but only 103,647 treatment courses were procured. This resulting treatment gap of 6·9% of patients was treated appropriately. The most-procured antibiotic was tigecycline, with India procuring most of the courses. The highest rates of appropriate treatment coverage were found in Mexico and Egypt, with 14·9% of infections treated appropriately. The study suggests that to close this treatment gap, improved access to diagnostics and antibiotics, strengthening of health systems, and research to identify gaps in the treatment pathway are needed.