Successful therapy of treatment-emergent, non-clonal daptomycin-non-susceptible Enterococcus faecium infections

Trends in NP and RN enrollment, graduation, and practice

The employment outlook for NPs is expected to continue its growth trend in the coming years. This article summarizes graduation and employment trends for nursing students and provides a synopsis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics about the growing demand for NPs and nurses. A brief overview of the history of recent workforce trends is also provided.

Management of bacterial and fungal infections in end stage liver disease and liver transplantation: Current options and future directions

Patients with liver cirrhosis are susceptible to infections due to various mechanisms, including abnormalities of humoral and cell-mediated immunity and occurrence of bacterial translocation from the intestine. Bacterial infections are common and represent a reason for progression to liver failure and increased mortality. Fungal infections, mainly caused by Candida spp., are often associated to delayed diagnosis and high mortality rates. High level of suspicion along with prompt diagnosis and treatment of infections are warranted. Bacterial and fungal infections negatively affect the outcomes of liver transplant candidates and recipients, causing disease progression among patients on the waiting list and increasing mortality, especially in the early post-transplant period. Abdominal, biliary tract, and bloodstream infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria [e.g., Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa)] and Staphylococcus spp. are commonly encountered in liver transplant recipients. Due to frequent exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics, invasive procedures, and prolonged hospitalizations, these patients are especially at risk of developing infections caused by multidrug resistant bacteria. The increase in antimicrobial resistance hampers the choice of an adequate empiric therapy and warrants the knowledge of the local microbial epidemiology and the implementation of infection control measures. The main characteristics and the management of bacterial and fungal infections in patients with liver cirrhosis and liver transplant recipients are presented.

Managing acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections: Focus on new lipoglycopeptides

Acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) are some of the most commonly encountered infections worldwide. Hospitalizations as a result of ABSSSI are associated with high mortality. This article discusses the role of oritavancin and dalbavancin, two new lipoglycopeptides, in the context of the other I.V. available standard therapy options.

Fosfomycin Enhances the Activity of Daptomycin against Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in an In Vitro Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Model

Daptomycin (DAP) is being used more frequently to treat infections caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE). DAP tends to be less active against enterococci than staphylococci and may require high doses or combination therapy to be bactericidal. Fosfomycin (FOF) has activity against VRE and has demonstrated synergistic bactericidal activity with DAP in vitro The objective of this study was to evaluate the activity of DAP alone and in combination with FOF against VRE in an in vitro pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model. The activity of DAP at 8 and 12 mg/kg of body weight/day (DAP 8 and DAP 12, respectively) and FOF of 40 mg/kg intravenously every 8 h, alone and in combination, were evaluated against 2 vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains (8019 and 5938) and 2 vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis strains (V583 and R7302) in an in vitro PK/PD model over 72 h. Cell surface charge in the presence and absence of FOF was evaluated by zeta potential analysis. Daptomycin-boron-dipyrromethene (bodipy) binding was assessed by fluorescence microscopy. The addition of FOF to DAP 8 and DAP 12 resulted in significantly increased killing over DAP alone at 72 h for 8019, V583, and R7302 (P < 0.05). Therapeutic enhancement was observed with DAP 12 plus FOF against 8019, V583, and R7302. Cell surface charge became more negative after exposure to FOF by ∼2 to 8mV in all 4 strains. Daptomycin-bodipy binding increased by 2.6 times in the presence of fosfomycin (P < 0.0001). The combination of DAP plus FOF may provide improved killing against VRE (including DAP-resistant strains) through modulation of cell surface charge. Further studies to clarify the role of intravenous FOF are warranted.

Multidrug-resistant organisms in liver transplant: Mitigating risk and managing infections

Liver transplant (LT) recipients are vulnerable to infections with multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. Risk factors for colonization and infection with resistant bacteria are ubiquitous and unavoidable in transplantation. During the past decade, progress in transplantation and infection prevention has contributed to the decreased incidence of infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. However, even in the face of potentially effective antibiotics, vancomycin-resistant enterococci continue to plague LT. Gram-negative bacilli prove to be more problematic and are responsible for high rates of both morbidity and mortality. Despite the licensure of novel antibiotics, there is no universal agent available to safely and effectively treat infections with MDR gram-negative organisms. Currently, efforts dedicated toward prevention and treatment require involvement of multiple disciplines including transplant providers, specialists in infectious diseases and infection prevention, and researchers dedicated to the development of rapid diagnostics and safe and effective antibiotics with novel mechanisms of action. Liver Transplantation 22 1143-1153 2016 AASLD.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of linezolid versus daptomycin for treatment of vancomycin-resistant enterococcal bacteremia

Limited therapeutic options exist for the treatment of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) bacteremia; the most commonly used are daptomycin and linezolid. We attempted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the comparative efficacy of those two agents. Studies comparing daptomycin to linezolid treatment for VRE bacteremia, published until August 2012, were identified from the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, ISI Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases. All comparative studies on patients older than 18 years of age that provided mortality data were considered eligible for this systematic review and meta-analysis. Τhe primary outcome of the meta-analysis was 30-day all-cause mortality. Ten retrospective studies including 967 patients were identified. Patients treated with daptomycin had significantly higher 30-day all-cause mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08 to 2.40) and infection-related mortality (OR, 3.61; 95% CI, 1.42 to 9.20) rates than patients treated with linezolid. When data from all 10 studies were combined, overall mortality was also significantly increased among patients treated with daptomycin (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.89). These findings were confirmed when odds ratios adjusted for potential confounders were pooled. Relapse rates among patients treated with daptomycin were also higher (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, 0.94 to 6.72), although this difference did not reach statistical significance. Adverse event rates were not significantly different between the two groups. Notwithstanding the absence of randomized prospective data, available evidence suggests that mortality rates may be higher with daptomycin than with linezolid among patients treated for VRE bacteremia.