Introduction
India has very high rates of ESBL producing gram negative organisms and co-production of AmpC & OXA makes majority of antibiotics resistant, leaving carbapenems only reliable options. In recent times, E.coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae have also started showing resistance to carbapenems. Cefepime, a 4th generation cephalosporin, is stable against AmpC & OXA, but it lacks activity against ESBL producing organisms. Clavulanate is a highly effective inhibitor of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in detection tests. A novel combination of Cefepime-tazobactam is expected to increase susceptibility of Enterobacteriaceae otherwise resistant to cefepime if used alone.The combination of Cefepime-tazobactam may effectively cover all three major resistance mechanisms (AmpC & OXA by cefepime, ESBLs by tazobactam).