Prevention of infections of skin and skin structures

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus is a significant risk factor for various infections.
• Topical and systemic antibiotics often fail to achieve long-term eradication of nasal Staphylococcus aureus.
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a particular challenge in healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of different antibiotic regimens for eradicating nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriers.
• To explore alternative strategies for controlling Staphylococcus aureus colonization and infection.

Main Methods:

• Review of studies on topical and systemic antibiotic treatments for nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriers.
• Analysis of treatment outcomes for oral antibiotics such as rifampin combined with cloxacillin, vancomycin, fusidic acid, or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.
• Investigation of the use of the non-virulent Staphylococcus aureus strain 502 A as a decolonizing agent.

Main Results:

• Topical and systemic antibiotics provided only temporary suppression of coagulase-positive staphylococci.
• Oral antibiotic combinations, particularly rifampin plus cloxacillin, vancomycin, fusidic acid, or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, eradicated colonizing Staphylococcus aureus in approximately 80% of studies.
• The 502 A Staphylococcus aureus strain successfully prevented staphylococcal disease epidemics in newborn nurseries and recurrent furunculosis.

Conclusions:

• Standard antibiotic treatments are generally ineffective for long-term eradication of nasal Staphylococcus aureus.
• Specific oral antibiotic combinations demonstrate high efficacy in eradicating Staphylococcus aureus colonization.
• Probiotic approaches using non-virulent strains like 502 A offer a promising alternative for preventing staphylococcal infections and controlling outbreaks.