Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Oct 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialNovel, single-dose microsphere formulation of azithromycin versus 7-day levofloxacin therapy for treatment of mild to moderate community-acquired Pneumonia in adults.
This randomized, double-blind, noninferiority study was designed to demonstrate that a single 2.0-g oral dose of a novel microsphere formulation of azithromycin was at least as effective as 7 days of levofloxacin, 500 mg/day, in the treatment of adult patients with mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia (Fine classes I, II, and III). In total, 427 subjects were randomly assigned to receive either a single 2.0-g dose of azithromycin microspheres (n = 213) or a 7-day regimen of levofloxacin (n = 214). At baseline, 219 of 423 (51.8%) treated subjects had at least one pathogen identified by culture, PCR, or serology. ⋯ Bacteriologic success at test of cure in the "bacteriologic per protocol" population was 90.7% (97 of 107) for azithromycin microspheres and 92.3% (120 of 130) for levofloxacin (treatment difference, -1.7%; 95% confidence interval, -8.8%, 5.5%). Both treatment regimens were well tolerated; the incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 19.9% and 12.3% for azithromycin and levofloxacin, respectively. A single 2.0-g dose of azithromycin microspheres was at least as effective as a 7-day course of levofloxacin in the treatment of mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia in adult outpatients.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Oct 2005
Efficient intermittent rifapentine-moxifloxacin-containing short-course regimen for treatment of tuberculosis in mice.
Long-half-life drugs raise the hope of once-a-week administration of antituberculous treatment. In a previous study with the murine model of tuberculosis, the most active intermittent regimen which contained rifapentine (RFP), isoniazid (INH), and moxifloxacin (MXF) given once a week during 5.5 months, preceded by 2 weeks of daily treatment with INH, rifampin (RIF), pyrazinamide (PZA), and MXF, was less active than the standard 6-month daily RIF-INH-PZA regimen. We evaluated with the same model similar regimens in which we increased the dosing of rifapentine from 10 to 15 mg/kg of body weight and of moxifloxacin from 100 to 400 mg/kg. ⋯ In contrast, in the two groups receiving moxifloxacin at a lower dosage, the relapse rate was significantly higher (13% in mice receiving RFP at 15 mg/kg and 27% in those receiving RFP at 10 mg/kg). Finally, the fully intermittent once-a-week regimen (26 drug ingestions) of INH, RFP (15 mg/kg), and MXF (400 mg/kg) led to a relapse rate of 11%. In conclusion, when used at high dosage, rifapentine and moxifloxacin are very efficient when combined with isoniazid in a once-a-week treatment in mouse tuberculosis.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Aug 2005
Clinical TrialCombination therapy with intravenous colistin for management of infections due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in patients without cystic fibrosis.
Colistin, an antibiotic almost abandoned for intravenous administration for many years due to its reported toxicity, has been recently reintroduced in clinical practice due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria and the lack of development of new antibiotics to combat them. To assess the safety and effectiveness of intravenous colistin, in combination with other antimicrobial agents, in the treatment of serious infections in patients without cystic fibrosis, a retrospective cohort study in a 450-bed tertiary-care hospital in Athens, Greece, was performed. Patients who were hospitalized from 1 October 2000 to 31 January 2004 and received intravenous colistin for more than 72 h were further analyzed. ⋯ Deterioration of renal function during colistin therapy was observed in 4/50 patients (8%). Coadministration of other antimicrobial agents with spectrum against gram-negative microorganisms and the absence of a control group constitute the major limitations of this study. The use of intravenous colistin for the treatment of infections due to multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria appears to be safe and effective.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Aug 2005
Efficacy of Telavancin in a rabbit model of aortic valve endocarditis due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus.
The activities of telavancin and vancomycin were compared in vitro and in the rabbit model of aortic valve endocarditis against a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain, COL, and a vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA) strain, HIP 5836. Telavancin was bactericidal in time-kill studies at a concentration of 5 microg/ml against both COL and HIP5836. Vancomycin was bacteriostatic at 5 microg/ml and bactericidal at 10 microg/ml against COL and was bacteriostatic at 10 microg/ml against VISA strain HIP 5836. ⋯ Telavancin was significantly more effective than vancomycin in the VISA model, producing a 5.5 log(10) CFU/g reduction versus no reduction in CFU with vancomycin. In experiments comparing 2-day regimens of telavancin at 30 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg twice daily, organisms were rapidly eliminated from vegetations, but the effect was not different between the two doses. These results suggest that telavancin may be an effective treatment for endocarditis and other serious staphylococcal infections accompanied by bacteremia, including infections caused by staphylococci not susceptible to vancomycin.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Aug 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialAcquisition of resistant bowel flora during a double-blind randomized clinical trial of ertapenem versus piperacillin-tazobactam therapy for intraabdominal infections.
Bowel colonization with resistant bacteria can develop in patients receiving broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy. We compared the impact of two antimicrobial regimens often used to treat intraabdominal infections on susceptibility patterns of bowel flora at the end of therapy. In a double-blind clinical trial, adults with complicated intraabdominal infection requiring surgery were randomized to receive piperacillin-tazobactam (3.375 g every 6 h) or ertapenem (1 g once a day) for 4 to 14 days. ⋯ Imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa was acquired by two of the ertapenem recipients (1.6%) versus zero of the piperacillin-tazobactam recipients (P = 0.50). Vancomycin-resistant enterococci were acquired during therapy by 8/125 assessable ertapenem recipients (6.4%) versus 2/123 assessable piperacillin-tazobactam recipients (1.6%; P = 0.10). In this study, the acquisition of resistant Enterobacteriaceae occurred significantly more often in patients treated with piperacillin-tazobactam than in those treated with ertapenem.