quinupristin-dalfopristin and Streptococcal-Infections

The advent of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in the 1990s and the threat posed by vancomycin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus led to the development of several new antimicrobial agents active against these pathogens. Quinupristin/dalfopristin was the first such drug to be commercially available but adverse effects have meant that the drug is now rarely used. Linezolid, the first antimicrobial of the oxazolidinone class, has met with more widespread use and has both an intravenous and an oral formulation. Daptomycin is a lipopeptide antimicrobial that is rapidly bactericidal against S. aureus. It is effective in the therapy of S. aureus bloodstream infections but is inactivated by pulmonary surfactant, making it of no use in the therapy of pneumonia. Tigecycline, by contrast, is bacteriostatic against most pathogens but has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and has enhanced penetration into many tissues. Other new antibiotics (dalbavancin, telavancin, ceftobiprole and doripenem) are currently under clinical development and hold promise for widespread clinical use in the next decade.

Topics: Acetamides; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Infections; Daptomycin; Humans; Linezolid; Minocycline; Oxazolidinones; Staphylococcal Infections; Streptococcal Infections; Tigecycline; Virginiamycin

Bacterial meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important cause of neurological morbidity and mortality in both children and adults. With increasing antibiotic resistance in pneumococci and documented microbiological failure in treatment of pneumococcal meningitis with cefotaxime and ceftriaxone, the need for alternative antibiotic therapy is critical. Of the currently available options, vancomycin has shown the most promise, particularly when used in combination with ceftriaxone or cefotaxime. Rifampin, also used in combination with either ceftriaxone or cefotaxime, has demonstrated encouraging preliminary results against antibiotic-resistant pneumococci as well. Chloramphenicol has unexpectedly yielded discouraging clinical results in children with infection caused by penicillin-resistant strains. Of the investigational antibiotics currently in clinical trials for the treatment of meningitis, meropenem, a carbapenem-class antibiotic, has demonstrated increased activity against penicillin-resistant pneumococci compared with that of other beta-lactam antibiotics, while having a safety profile similar to that of the cephalosporins.

Topics: Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Child; Child, Preschool; Chloramphenicol; Clindamycin; Female; Fluoroquinolones; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Lactams; Male; Meningitis, Bacterial; Naphthyridines; Penicillin Resistance; Rifampin; Streptococcal Infections; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Vancomycin; Virginiamycin

Seven Streptococcus agalactiae isolates were obtained from the vagina of 80 asymptomatic women. Three of these isolates showed multi-drug resistant (MDR) phenotypes: two isolates were resistant to clarithromycin, clindamycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline; and one isolate was resistant to clarithromycin, clindamycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, and quinupristin/dalfopristin. There was no clonal relationship among the MDR isolates. This is the first report of quinupristin/dalfopristin-resistant S. agalactiae.

Topics: Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents; DNA, Bacterial; DNA, Ribosomal; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Female; Humans; Korea; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Middle Aged; Molecular Sequence Data; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Streptococcal Infections; Streptococcus agalactiae; Vaginal Smears; Virginiamycin

A retrospective observational study in Taiwan, 1998-2004, identified 92 patients with group G streptococcal bacteremia; 86 had Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis. The most common diagnosis was cellulitis (48 cases), followed by primary bacteremia (34 cases). Infection recurred in 9 patients. Mortality rate was low (3.3%); resistance to quinupristin-dalfopristin was high.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteremia; Cellulitis; Child; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Female; Humans; Male; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Middle Aged; Streptococcal Infections; Streptococcus; Taiwan; Virginiamycin

In a prospective multicenter study (1996 to 1999), 156 episodes of bacteremic streptococcal infections of neutropenic patients were evaluated. Streptococcus oralis (26.3%), S. pneumoniae (26.3%), S. agalactiae (11.5%), S. mitis (9%), and S. pyogenes (5.8%) were the predominant species. Four strains (2.6%) were found to be intermediately resistant to penicillin. One strain (0.6%) was found to be highly resistant to penicillin (MIC, 8 mg/liter). Reduced susceptibility to penicillin was detected among S. oralis (14.6%), S. mitis (7.1%), and S. pneumoniae (4.9%) isolates but was not recorded among S. agalactiae and S. pyogenes. Resistance rates and intermediate resistance rates for other antimicrobials were as follows (all species): amoxicillin, 1.3 and 3.2%; erythromycin, 16 and 2.6%; clindamycin, 5.8 and 0%; ciprofloxacin, 1.9 and 7.7%. Quinupristin-dalfopristin showed good in vitro activity against most streptococcal isolates (MIC at which 50% of the isolates were inhibited [MIC(50)], 0.5 mg/liter; MIC(90), 1 mg/liter, MIC range, 0.25 to 4 mg/liter).

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteremia; Blood; Child; Child, Preschool; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Middle Aged; Neutropenia; Prospective Studies; Streptococcal Infections; Streptococcus; Virginiamycin

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Clinical Trials as Topic; Enterococcus faecium; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections; Humans; Oxazoles; Oxazolidinones; Streptococcal Infections; Streptococcus pyogenes; Vancomycin Resistance; Virginiamycin

A total of 68 viridans group streptococci, including 31 Streptococcus sanguis, 12 S. mitis, 3 S. salivarius, and 8 S. milleri from blood, and an additional 14 S. milleri from abscesses and normally sterile sites, were tested against penicillin, amoxicillin, cefazolin, ceftriaxone, meropenem, clindamycin, quinupristin/dalfopristin, rifampin, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, vancomycin, and gentamicin with the microdilution method. The susceptibility rates for S. sanguis were: penicillin, 74%; amoxicillin, 84%; ceftriaxone, 94%; clindamycin, 87%, and vancomycin, 100%. The susceptibility rates for S. mitis were: penicillin, 42%; amoxicillin, 67%; ceftriaxone, 58%; clindamycin, 100%; and vancomycin, 100%. The susceptibility rates for S. milleri were: penicillin, 100%, amoxicillin. 100%; ceftriaxone, 100%, clindamycin, 100%; and vancomycin, 100%. Two of the three isolates of S. salivarius were susceptible to penicillin, amoxicillin, and ceftriaxone; all were susceptible to clindamycin and vancomycin. Levofloxacin, quinupristin/dalfopristin, and rifampin were highly active against all isolates.

Topics: Amoxicillin; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cefazolin; Ceftriaxone; Clindamycin; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Gentamicins; Humans; Levofloxacin; Meropenem; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Ofloxacin; Penicillins; Rifampin; Streptococcal Infections; Streptococcus; Thienamycins; Vancomycin; Virginiamycin

From January 1988 to December 1994, 66 consecutive blood culture isolates of viridans group streptococci collected from febrile neutropenic cancer patients were tested for antimicrobial susceptibilities by the agar dilution method. The antibiotics studied were erythromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin, dirithromycin, azithromycin, josamycin, diacetyl-midecamycin, spiramycin, and quinupristin-dalfopristin. A total of 26 (39.4%) strains were resistant to erythromycin with an MIC range of 0.5 to > 128 micrograms/ml. The strains were classified into three groups according to their penicillin susceptibility: 42 (63.6%) were susceptible, 8 (12.1%) were intermediately resistant, and 16 (24.3%) were highly resistant. The percentages of erythromycin-resistant strains in each group were 23.8, 62.5, and 68.8%, respectively. Streptococcus mitis was the species most frequently isolated (83.3%) and showed the highest rates of penicillin (40%) and erythromycin (43.6%) resistance. MICs of all macrolide antibiotics tested and of quinupristin-dalfopristin were higher for penicillin-resistant strains than for penicillin-susceptible strains. All macrolide antibiotics tested had cross-resistance to erythromycin, which was not observed with quinupristin-dalfopristin. Our study shows a high rate of macrolide resistance among viridans group streptococci isolated from blood samples of neutropenic cancer patients, especially those infected with penicillin-resistant strains. These findings make macrolides unsuitable prophylactic agents against viridans group streptococcal bacteremia in this patient population.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Erythromycin; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Neoplasms; Neutropenia; Penicillin Resistance; Streptococcal Infections; Streptococcus; Virginiamycin

RP 59500 is a new injectable streptogramin composed of two synergistic components (quinupristin and dalfopristin) which are active against a number of erythromycin-susceptible and -resistant gram-positive bacteria. The following experiments investigate the ability of RP 59500 to prevent experimental endocarditis due to either of two erythromycin-susceptible streptococcal isolates or their constitutively erythromycin-resistant Tn916 delta E transconjugants. RP 59500 had low MICs (0.125 to 0.5 mg/liter) for all four test organisms and was substantially bactericidal in vitro. Rats with catheter-induced aortic vegetations were given single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis 30 to 60 min before bacterial inoculation through a computerized pump system which permitted the simulation of drug kinetics for humans produced by either 7 mg of RP 59500 per kg of body weight or 1 g of vancomycin. Single-dose RP 59500 prophylaxis successfully prevented endocarditis due to both the erythromycin-susceptible parent strains and their erythromycin-resistant derivatives in rats challenged with the minimal inoculum infecting 90% of controls. In addition, RP 59500 also prevented infection in animals challenged with fivefold-larger inocula of the erythromycin-susceptible parent strains. Vancomycin successfully prevented endocarditis due to any of the four test organisms. These results underline the in vivo efficacy of RP 59500 against both erythromycin-susceptible and -resistant streptococci. Such good results against the resistant strains would not be expected with erythromycin or clindamycin, which are the standard macrolidelincosamide-streptogramin antibiotics used for endocarditis prophylaxis in humans. An oral form of RP 59500 which might advantageously replace some of the older prophylactic regimens is currently being developed.

Topics: Animals; Conjugation, Genetic; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Endocarditis, Bacterial; Erythromycin; Female; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Streptococcal Infections; Streptococcus; Vancomycin; Virginiamycin

We evaluated the in vivo activity and the diffusion of radiolabelled RP 57669 (RPI) and RP 54476 (RPII), the two components of the injectable streptogramin RP 59500, alone or in combination, in aortic vegetations from experimental endocarditis in rabbits. RPI and RPII demonstrated in vitro bacteriostatic and bactericidal synergy against a clinical strain of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to methicillin and susceptible to erythromycin. In experimental staphylococcal endocarditis, RP 59500 was as effective as vancomycin and significantly more effective than RPI (P < 0.01) and RPII (P < 0.05). Autoradiography studies showed different patterns of distribution into cardiac vegetations infected with Streptococcus sanguis for [14C]RPI and [14C]RPII. [14C]RPI was homogeneously distributed throughout the vegetations whereas [14C]RPII showed a decreasing gradient of concentration between the periphery and the core of the vegetation, with an approximately 2:1 ratio. [14C]RPI diffused approximately 2 to 4 times more than [14C]RPII into the core of the vegetations. Since the injected ratio of RPI and RPII is 30:70 in RP 59500, the actual RPI:RPII ratio in the core of the vegetation may range from 0.8 to 1.7, a ratio which remains compatible with the in vivo synergism demonstrated between the two components.

Topics: Animals; Autoradiography; Culture Media; Drug Synergism; Endocarditis, Bacterial; Female; Humans; Methicillin Resistance; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Rabbits; Staphylococcal Infections; Staphylococcus aureus; Streptococcal Infections; Streptococcus sanguis; Vancomycin; Virginiamycin