Use of daptomycin to treat drug-resistant Gram-positive bone and joint infections.
OBJECTIVE
Drug-resistant, Gram-positive bacteria are a growing concern in treating bone and joint infections, including osteomyelitis. This report describes the experience in a series of cases of the use of a novel antibiotic, daptomycin, for the treatment of bone and joint infections.


METHODS
This retrospective analysis included patients from two medical centers diagnosed with Gram-positive bone and joint infections and treated with daptomycin.


RESULTS
A total of 10 patients were included in this report, of which nine received previous antibiotic therapy, including vancomycin, linezolid, and quinupristin/dalfopristin. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from eight patients while the remaining patients were infected with enterococci or streptococci. All patients initially resolved the infection while undergoing daptomycin treatment and were discharged from the hospital. One patient was switched to ampicillin (after receiving daptomycin for 4 days) once the infection was identified due to vancomycin-susceptible enterococcus. However, one patient was readmitted after 18 days due to a clinical relapse, possibly caused by under-dosing of daptomycin.


CONCLUSIONS
Eight out of nine patients who received daptomycin for at least 8 days were successfully treated with the agent for Gram-positive bone and joint infections. Daptomycin was found to be well tolerated, even up to 44 days of treatment.
Finney
Michael S
MS
Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, Fountain Valley, CA, USA.
Crank
Christopher W
CW
Segreti
John
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017576:Daptomycin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D017576:Daptomycin