title: Teicoplanin in empirical combined antibiotic therapy of bacteraemias in bone marrow transplant patients.
abstract: Teicoplanin in combination with amikacin and ceftazidime was used as empirical therapy in treating 46 febrile episodes in 34 consecutive patients undergoing allogenic bone marrow transplantation. All but four of these febrile episodes occurred in neutropenic patients and 50% of them proved to be bacteraemias (23/46). Cure was achieved in 90% of Gram-positive bacteraemias (18/20) and in six of them teicoplanin was the only antibiotic with activity in vitro against the infecting strain. All (3/3) Gram-negative bacteraemias were cured. Central venous catheter removal was required in five patients (three tunnel infections, one exit-site infection and one thrombophlebitis). Two failures occurred among Gram-positive bacteraemias and in one case the patient died of infection. Four instances of side effects were documented but only one was severe (hearing loss).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infectious Disease, University of Perugia Medical School, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Menichetti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Favero
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bucaneve
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aversa
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baldelli
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Felicini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terenzi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pauluzzi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000583:Amikacin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002442:Ceftazidime / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006020:Glycopeptides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D017334:Teicoplanin
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D006020:Glycopeptides; D017334:Teicoplanin; D000583:Amikacin; D002442:Ceftazidime