NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Dalbavancin, a semisynthetic glycopeptide, is more effective than vancomycin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in an animal model of this infection.
In the April issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Dr. Daniela Jabes and colleagues at Vicuron Pharmaceuticals in Gerenzano (Varese), Italy describe experiments in a model of rat granuloma pouch infection.
“A single intravenous dose of 10 mg of dalbavancin/kg of body weight reduced the viable MRSA count in pouch exudates by more than 2 log...and regrowth was prevented for up to 120 hours,” the researchers report.
To get “comparable” effects with vancomycin, it was necessary to administer four intramuscular doses of 100 mg/kg each, according to the article. Furthermore, the interval until bacterial regrowth grew shorter with each successive vancomycin injection.
The investigators also test dalbavancin against linezolid. “Reduction of the bacterial load obtained with 100- and 200-mg/kg oral doses of linezolid was relatively transient, with regrowth starting at 48 hours,” they report.
Also, the authors found that methicillin-sensitive S. aureus organisms were undetectable 24 hours after a single 10-mg/kg dose of dalbavancin. This effected persisted for at least 96 hours, they added.
“The main factor accounting for the in vivo efficacy of single doses of dalbavancin is its pharmacokinetics,” the researchers write. “Dalbavancin had excellent penetration into the granuloma pouch, and high concentrations were maintained for extended periods.”
“Infrequent dosing may reduce the need for indwelling catheters. Recent clinical experience suggests that a once-weekly dose of dalbavancin may be used to treat skin and soft tissue infections.”
Source: Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2004;48:1118-1123 [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Animal Diseases: Disease Models, Animal: Drugs, Investigational: DiseasesCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
