International journal of antimicrobial agents
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · Feb 2014
Activity of linezolid-containing regimens against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in mice.
The objective of the present study was to compare the activities of regimens containing linezolid (LZD) with those not containing LZD against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in mice. The three regimens excluding LZD selected in this study are often used in practice against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). ⋯ In particular, when LZD was included in the combination levofloxacin+amikacin+para-aminosalicylic acid+pyrazinamide+clofazimine, culture negativity of the lungs was reached after 2 months of treatment in every case. In addition, the serum levels of interleukin-10 and interferon-γ of mice were determined and were found not to be surrogate markers of bacterial clearance.
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · Jan 2014
Nosocomial bloodstream infections due to Candida spp. in the USA: species distribution, clinical features and antifungal susceptibilities.
Candida spp. are among the most frequent nosocomial pathogens, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality. Longitudinal data on the epidemiology of Candida bloodstream infections (BSIs) are still limited. Isolates and clinical data from 1218 episodes of Candida BSI were prospectively collected from patients in 52 hospitals in the USA between 1998 and 2006. ⋯ Overall mortality was 38.1%. Of the isolates studied, 0.8% of C. albicans, 100.0% of C. glabrata, 2.9% of C. parapsilosis and 4.9% of C. tropicalis were non-susceptible to fluconazole, and 0.6% of C. albicans, 5.0% of Candida krusei, 7.6% of C. parapsilosis and 9.8% of C. tropicalis were non-susceptible to voriconazole. All echinocandins showed good activity against most Candida spp., including the majority of C. parapsilosis isolates, but only 38.1% of C. glabrata tested susceptible to caspofungin.
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · Jan 2014
Outcomes of critically ill intensive care unit patients treated with fosfomycin for infections due to pandrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria.
Fosfomycin is active in vitro against extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and pandrug-resistant (PDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing strains; however, the in vivo effectiveness against such pathogens is almost unknown. A multicentre, observational, prospective case-series study was performed in 11 ICUs. All consecutive fosfomycin-treated patients suffering from XDR or PDR fosfomycin-susceptible, microbiologically documented infections were recorded. ⋯ In conclusion, fosfomycin could have a place in the armamentarium against XDR and PDR Gram-negative infections in the critically ill. Resistance development during therapy, which has been a matter of concern in previous studies, did not occur frequently. The necessity of combination with other antibiotics requires further investigation.
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · Dec 2013
ReviewMinocycline, often forgotten but preferred to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or doxycycline for the treatment of community-acquired meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft-tissue infections.
Treatment of uncomplicated skin and soft-tissue abscesses caused by meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus or meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is problematic. Incision and drainage aside, oral antibiotic therapy for uncomplicated community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) is limited and frequent choices include clindamycin, doxycycline or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX). ⋯ With MRSA, in vitro susceptibilities do not always predict in vivo effectiveness. In situations where doxycycline or TMP-SMX fails in the treatment of uncomplicated cutaneous abscesses due to CA-MRSA, minocycline is reliably effective.
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · Dec 2013
Review Meta Analysis Comparative StudyCombination antibiotic therapy versus monotherapy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteraemia: a meta-analysis of retrospective and prospective studies.
The choice of antibiotic monotherapy or combination therapy to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteraemia is controversial. The aim of this review was to compare both types of therapy to determine which delivers the best outcome for P. aeruginosa bacteraemia. We systematically searched electronic bibliographic databases, including PubMed, Ovid EMBASE and The Cochrane Library, for clinical studies that compared combination therapy with monotherapy in the treatment of P. aeruginosa bacteraemia. ⋯ We found no difference between combination therapy and monotherapy when the data were combined (odds ratio = 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.57-1.40; P = 0.614) or when data were analysed in subgroups. Neither combination therapy nor monotherapy treatment appears to have a significant effect on mortality rates in patients with P. aeruginosa bacteraemia. Further studies evaluating the effects of combination therapy or monotherapy in more specialised cases, such as when encountering a multidrug-resistant organism, are necessary.