Overview of the role of mupirocin

Mupirocin is a novel antibiotic, for topical use only, which is unrelated in chemical structure and mode of action to any known class of antibacterial agent. It is active against a wide range of Gram-positive bacteria, including staphylococci and most streptococci, and is moderately active against Gram-negative bacteria. Mupirocin 2% ointment applied 2 or 3 times daily has demonstrable efficacy for the treatment of both primary and secondary skin infections and compares favourably with other topical and systemic treatments. In clinical studies, both elimination of the bacterial pathogen and clinical cure or improvement has been usual in over 90% of patients. Up to 40% of the normal population carry Staphylococcus aureus in the anterior nares and this carriage rate is often increased in hospitalized patients and their attendants. The increasing incidence of multiply- and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has been associated with hospital outbreaks leading to considerable morbidity and disruption of hospital services. Intranasal 2% calcium mupirocin has been shown to be effective in the eradication of nasal carriage; in bacteriologically controlled studies elimination of S. aureus, including MRSA, was achieved in over 95% of subjects. The role of mupirocin in preventing staphylococcal infection is currently undergoing evaluation.