Combined effect of clarithromycin and imipenem/cilastatin against urinary biofilm infection after pyeloplasty

The present report concerns a 38-year-old man, who had been treated with pyeloplasty and lithotomy for the improvement of urinary excretion and resolution of a kidney stone. The patient developed a biofilm infection involving Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis, and had been suffering from recurrent acute pyelonephritis for one year. Combination therapy with clarithromycin (CAM) and imipenem/cilastatin (IMP/CS) consisted of administration of CAM at a dose of 400 mg/day for 1 week, followed by 500 mg/day of IMP by intravenous infusion combined with CAM (400 mg/day) for 5 days. This therapy produced an immediate antimicrobial effect and no further signs of pyuria have been seen during one year of follow-up in this patient.