Treatment of staphylococcal infections with cyclic lipopeptides

Daptomycin is the first of a new class of antibiotics, the cyclic lipopeptides, for which a novel mechanism of action is hypothesised. Owing to its mode of action, daptomycin is rapidly bactericidal without being bacteriolytic, is active against static- and growing-phase bacteria, and has a low resistance rate in vitro. Phase III clinical trials have demonstrated that daptomycin is as effective as standard therapy for the treatment of complicated skin and soft-tissue infections associated with Gram-positive infections, and daptomycin-treated patients benefited from a reduced time to clinical resolution. Daptomycin has also been shown to be as effective as standard therapy in the treatment of bacteraemia associated with Staphylococcus aureus, with or without endocarditis. These results indicate that daptomycin is a useful therapeutic option for treating Gram-positive infections, particularly those caused by S. aureus.