Recent advances in the treatment of infections due to resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

The promising data that have emerged in the last year indicate that we may have six available drugs to treat resistant S. aureus infections within the next few years. The next goal is to determine the appropriate indications and cost-effectiveness of each of these drugs in our treatment strategy against S. aureus and other Gram-positive pathogens.

Treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

“…Many new compounds with activity against MRSA are under development but few have been licensed [43,44]. Drugs of potential interest for severe MRSA pulmonary infections, including VISA and VRSA strains, are tigecycline, a member of the glycylcycline group of antibiotics (which are tetracycline analogues), ceftobiprole, a novel broadspectrum parenteral cephalosporin, and telavancin, a novel lipoglycopeptide, all currently on trial in patients with NP.…”

“…However, the cyclic lipopeptide daptomycin cannot be recommended for MRSA pneumonia because of its poor penetration into pulmonary tissue. Binding of the drug by surfactant is probably responsible for the low levels reached in the bronchial alveolar lining fluid and lung parenchyma [43][44][45]. In a recent prospective trial of 740 patients with pneumonia, daptomycin was found to be less effective than the comparator ceftriaxone, thereby causing early discontinuance of the study [43].…”

Severe Skin and Soft Tissue Infections inCritical Care

“…Telavancin, linezolid, daptomycin, tigecycline, and quinupristin-dalfopristin can be used for vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA). For VRSA strains testing should be performed (96,97). Oritavancin, dalbavancin, ceftobiprole, and ceftaroline are newer agents under development for treatment of resistant strains (97).…”

Comparative effectiveness of antibiotics for the treatment of MRSA complicated skin and soft tissue infections

“…In the late 1980s a second glycopeptide, teicoplanin (a similar agent to vancomycin), was introduced in Europe. In the new millennium a number of new antimicrobial agents were introduced with activity against MRSA: linezolid, daptomycin and tigecycline [7][8][9][10][11] . Two new lipoglycopeptides (i.e.…”