Enterobacteria such as Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae are dreaded hospital germs that can cause serious intestinal and urinary tract infections. The risk of infection with these pathogens is growing, because they are becoming increasingly resistant worldwide and thus resistive to a group of antibiotics that effectively constitutes the critical reserve for emergencies: carbapenems. A new combination of two antimicrobial substances was seen as a beacon of hope for treatment—but this hope has now been dashed by a recent study at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF). Even before the substances were ever used in Germany, the scientists were able to find bacteria that this new combination could no longer touch.