title: A potential role for daptomycin in enterococcal infections: what is the evidence?
abstract: Nosocomial infections caused by enterococci present a challenge for clinicians because treatment options are often limited due to the widespread occurrence of strains resistant to multiple antibiotics, including vancomycin. Daptomycin is a first-in-class cyclic lipopeptide that has proven efficacy for the treatment of Gram-positive infections. Although methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has been the most prominent target in the clinical development of daptomycin, this agent has demonstrated potent bactericidal activity in enterococcal infection models and has been used for the treatment of enterococcal infections in humans. In recent years, large-scale susceptibility studies have shown that daptomycin is active against >98% of enterococci tested, irrespective of their susceptibility to other antibacterial agents. This lack of cross-resistance reflects the fact that daptomycin has a mode of action distinct from those of other antibiotics, including glycopeptides. While there are limited data available from randomized controlled trials, extensive clinical experience with daptomycin in enterococcal infections (including bacteraemia, endocarditis, skin and soft tissue infections, bone and joint infections and urinary tract infections) has been reported. This growing body of evidence provides useful insights regarding the efficacy of daptomycin against enterococci in clinical settings.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain. rcanton.hrc@salud.madrid.org
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cantón
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Garbajosa
authors.forename: Ricardo L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Chaves
authors.forename: Alan P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D017576:Daptomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000187:drug effects*; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017576:Daptomycin