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In vitro fosfomycin activity in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis

Silvana Superti1, Cícero Armídio Gomes Dias, Pedro Alves d'Azevedo

  • 1Program in Pathology of Health Sciences, Federal University of Porto Alegre, Rua Sarmento Leite 245/204, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases
|February 9, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infections pose a global treatment challenge. This study found that fosfomycin demonstrates significant in vitro activity against VRE, offering a potential therapeutic option.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Enterococci are common human flora with inherent antimicrobial resistance.
  • Acquired resistance, particularly to vancomycin, leads to challenging infections globally.
  • Limited treatment options exist for vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the in vitro susceptibility of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE) to fosfomycin.
  • To assess fosfomycin as a potential treatment for VRE infections.

Main Methods:

  • Collected 193 VRE faecalis isolates from four hospitals in Porto Alegre.
  • Assessed fosfomycin susceptibility using E-test and agar diffusion methods.

Main Results:

  • Fosfomycin demonstrated in vitro activity against the majority of VRE faecalis isolates tested.
  • High susceptibility rates to fosfomycin were observed across the studied isolates.

Conclusions:

  • Fosfomycin is a viable therapeutic option for treating infections caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci.
  • Further clinical studies are warranted to confirm fosfomycin's efficacy in treating VRE infections.

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