title: Evaluation of the activity of fusidic acid tested against contemporary Gram-positive clinical isolates from the USA and Canada.
abstract: We evaluated the antimicrobial activity of fusidic acid (CEM-102) against 1140 clinical strains of Gram-positive bacteria obtained from patients with bacteraemia or skin and skin-structure infections collected in more than 30 medical centres in the USA and Canada over a 10-year period (1997-2006). Fusidic acid was very active against meticillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), with MIC(90) values (minimum inhibitory concentration encompassing 90% of isolates tested) at 0.12mug/mL for US strains of MSSA, MRSA and CoNS and 0.25mug/mL for Canadian strains of MSSA and MRSA. A progressive increase in fusidic acid resistance was observed among Canadian strains of S. aureus (12.2% in 2005-2006) and among Canadian strains of CoNS. In contrast, no fusidic acid resistance was detected among US S. aureus strains and only 1.5% among CoNS. Fusidic acid was equally active against community-acquired MRSA and linezolid-resistant staphylococci. Fusidic acid exhibited equal or greater potency against staphylococci compared with vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid.
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pfaller
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castanheira
authors.forename: Helio S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Sader
authors.forename: Ronald N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology; D002170:Canada; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology; D005672:Fusidic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005672:Fusidic Acid