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Daptomycin for highly resistant Enterococcus faecium infection

Christiane Rosin1, Christine Bernsmeier, José M Entenza

  • 1Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland. rosinc@uhbs.ch

Swiss Medical Weekly
|June 28, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Daptomycin shows promise for treating severe Enterococcus faecium infections, even in cases resistant to other antibiotics. This salvage therapy offers a potentially safe and effective option for challenging Gram-positive bacterial infections.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Antimicrobial Resistance
  • Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

  • Enterococcus faecium is a significant cause of nosocomial infections.
  • High rates of resistance to common antibiotics like ampicillin and gentamicin complicate treatment.
  • Patients often present with severe underlying conditions and prior broad-spectrum antibiotic exposure.

Observation:

  • This case series evaluated 11 patients with severe E. faecium infections.
  • All E. faecium strains were ampicillin-resistant and vancomycin-susceptible.
  • Seven out of 11 strains exhibited high-level gentamicin resistance.

Findings:

  • Patients received daptomycin as a salvage therapy.
  • Daptomycin demonstrated potential efficacy in treating these difficult E. faecium infections.
  • The treatment appeared safe in this patient cohort.

Implications:

  • Daptomycin may be a valuable therapeutic option for refractory E. faecium infections.
  • Further research is warranted to confirm daptomycin's role in managing resistant enterococcal infections.
  • This finding could influence treatment guidelines for severe Gram-positive bacterial infections.

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