title: Efficacy of dalbavancin in the treatment of MRSA rat sternal osteomyelitis with mediastinitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Dalbavancin, a semi-synthetic lipoglycopeptide, is characterized by a long plasma half-life, which allows weekly dosing. Dalbavancin may be a good treatment option for patients with deep sternal wound infections owing to its improved pharmacokinetic profile and antibacterial activity compared with currently used antibiotics. Here we evaluated the efficacy of 7 or 14 days of treatment with dalbavancin, compared with vancomycin and with saline, in reducing sternal bone MRSA counts in a rat Staphylococcus aureus deep sternal wound infection model.
  
  
  METHODS
  A mid-sternal wound was surgically induced in anaesthetized rats. A clinical strain of MRSA was injected into the sternum to establish infection. Rats were treated intraperitoneally for 7 or 14 days with dalbavancin, vancomycin or saline. The number of cfu per gram of sternum or spleen tissue was determined using viable counts. The antibacterial efficacy was determined by the reduction in bacterial counts per gram of sternum or spleen tissue in each treatment group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment with dalbavancin was superior to treatment with saline for 7 days (0.75 log reduction in bone cfu) or 14 days (>3 log reduction in bone cfu) and similar to treatment with vancomycin. Additionally, dalbavancin was also effective in reducing systemic dissemination of MRSA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dalbavancin is effective in the treatment of MRSA rat sternal osteomyelitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Tel Aviv Medical Center, 6 Weizmann Street, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Barnea
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and the National Center for Antibiotic Resistance, Tel Aviv Medical Center, 6 Weizmann Street, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Anat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lerner
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, 6 Weizmann Street, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Asaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aizic
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel.
authors.forename: Shiri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Navon-Venezia
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and the National Center for Antibiotic Resistance, Tel Aviv Medical Center, 6 Weizmann Street, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Eleanor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rachi
authors.affiliation: Durata Therapeutics, Inc., 322 East Main Street, Branford, CT 06405, USA.
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Dunne
authors.affiliation: Durata Therapeutics, Inc., 322 East Main Street, Branford, CT 06405, USA.
authors.forename: Sailaja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Puttagunta
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and the National Center for Antibiotic Resistance, Tel Aviv Medical Center, 6 Weizmann Street, Tel Aviv, Israel yehudac@tlvmc.gov.il.
authors.forename: Yehuda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Carmeli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058491:Bacterial Load; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D008480:Mediastinitis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051381:Rats; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D013249:Sternum / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D017334:Teicoplanin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017334:Teicoplanin; D014640:Vancomycin; C469289:dalbavancin