Endolysin NC5 improves early cloxacillin treatment in a mouse model of Streptococcus uberis mastitis.

Streptococcus uberis frequently causes bovine mastitis, an infectious udder disease with significant economic implications for dairy cows. Conventional antibiotics, such as cloxacillin, sometimes have limited success in eliminating S. uberis as a stand-alone therapy. To address this challenge, the study objective was to investigate the VersaTile engineered endolysin NC5 as a supplemental therapy to cloxacillin in a mouse model of bovine S. uberis mastitis. NC5 was previously selected based on its intracellular killing and biofilm eradicating activity. To deliver preclinical proof-of-concept of this supplemental strategy, lactating mice were intramammarily infected with a bovine S. uberis field isolate and subsequently treated with cloxacillin (30.0 µg) combined with either a low (23.5 µg) or high (235.0 µg) dose of NC5. An antibiotic monotherapy group, as well as placebo treatment, was included as controls. Two types of responders were identified: fast (n = 17), showing response after 4-h treatment, and slow (n = 10), exhibiting no clear response at 4 h post-treatment across all groups. The high-dose combination therapy in comparison with placebo treatment impacted the hallmarks of mastitis in the fast responders by reducing (i) the bacterial load 13,000-fold (4.11 ± 0.78 Δlog10; p < 0.001), (ii) neutrophil infiltration 5.7-fold (p > 0.05), and (iii) the key pro-inflammatory chemokine IL-8 13-fold (p < 0.01). These mastitis hallmarks typically followed a dose response dependent on the amount of endolysin added. The current in vivo study complements our in vitro data and provides preclinical proof-of-concept of NC5 as an adjunct to intramammary cloxacillin treatment. KEY POINTS: • Engineered endolysin NC5 was preclinically evaluated as add-on to cloxacillin treatment. • Two types of mice (slow and fast responding) were observed. • The add-on treatment decreased bacterial load, neutrophil influx, and pro-inflammatory mediators.

Simultaneous determination of oxacillin and cloxacillin in plasma and CSF using turbulent flow liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry: Application in therapeutic drug monitoring.

Cloxacillin and oxacillin are group M penicillins. The therapeutic monitoring of plasma concentrations of these antibiotics and those of their hydroxymethylated metabolites is of great clinical interest, especially in the choice of an adequate dosage allowing an effective treatment while limiting the occurrence of undesirable effects and the development of bacterial resistance. In this context, we conducted this work aiming at developing and validating a method allowing the determination of cloxacillin and oxacillin as well as the identification of their active metabolites in different biological matrices (CSF and plasma) using turbulent flow liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. To do this, we carried out several optimisation tests. Subsequently, we validated our method according to the latest bioanalytical validation recommendations of the European Medicines Agency. The validation results showed that our method is specific and sensitive. We obtained good linearity in the range 0.5 to 100 µg/mL with correlation coefficients above 0.995. The lower limit of quantification was 0.5 µg/mL for each analyte. The method was found to be accurate with repeatability and reproducibility coefficients of variation below 15 %. Our method is also accurate with bias values below 15 %. Recovery values ranged from 87 % to 95 %. Finally, we were able to apply our method to the therapeutic monitoring of the analysed molecules and to identify their active metabolites. Our results suggest that LC-MS shows superiority in the therapeutic monitoring of these antibiotics due to the superiority of specificity shown by this method. This assay method can be routinely used for the daily plasma assays of patients treated with these antibiotics in the context of therapeutic monitoring.

Contemporary use of cefazolin for MSSA infective endocarditis: analysis of a national prospective cohort.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the real use of cefazolin for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) infective endocarditis (IE) in the Spanish National Endocarditis Database (GAMES) and to compare it with antistaphylococcal penicillin (ASP). METHODS: Prospective cohort study with retrospective analysis of a cohort of MSSA IE treated with cloxacillin and/or cefazolin. Outcomes assessed were relapse; intra-hospital, overall, and endocarditis-related mortality; and adverse events. Risk of renal toxicity with each treatment was evaluated separately. RESULTS: We included 631 IE episodes caused by MSSA treated with cloxacillin and/or cefazolin. Antibiotic treatment was cloxacillin, cefazolin, or both in 537 (85%), 57 (9%), and 37 (6%) episodes, respectively. Patients treated with cefazolin had significantly higher rates of comorbidities (median Charlson Index 7, P <0.01) and previous renal failure (57.9%, P <0.01). Patients treated with cloxacillin presented higher rates of septic shock (25%, P = 0.033) and new-onset or worsening renal failure (47.3%, P = 0.024) with significantly higher rates of in-hospital mortality (38.5%, P = 0.017). One-year IE-related mortality and rate of relapses were similar between treatment groups. None of the treatments were identified as risk or protective factors. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that cefazolin is a valuable option for the treatment of MSSA IE, without differences in 1-year mortality or relapses compared with cloxacillin, and might be considered equally effective.

Cloxacillin plus fosfomycin versus cloxacillin alone for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: a randomized trial.

Treatment failure occurs in about 25% of patients with methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteremia. We assessed whether cloxacillin plus fosfomycin achieves better treatment success than cloxacillin alone in hospitalized adults with MSSA bacteremia. We conducted a multicenter, open-label, phase III-IV superiority randomized clinical trial. We randomly assigned patients (1:1) to receive 2 g of intravenous cloxacillin alone every 4 h or with 3 g of intravenous fosfomycin every 6 h for the initial 7 days. The primary endpoint was treatment success at day 7, a composite endpoint with the following criteria: patient alive, stable or with improved quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, afebrile and with negative blood cultures for MSSA, adjudicated by an independent committee blinded to treatment allocation. We randomized 215 patients, of whom 105 received cloxacillin plus fosfomycin and 110 received cloxacillin alone. We analyzed the primary endpoint with the intention-to-treat approach in 214 patients who received at least 1 day of treatment. Treatment success at day 7 after randomization was achieved in 83 (79.8%) of 104 patients receiving combination treatment versus 82 (74.5%) of 110 patients receiving monotherapy (risk difference 5.3%; 95% confidence interval (CI), -5.95-16.48). Secondary endpoints, including mortality and adverse events, were similar in the two groups except for persistent bacteremia at day 3, which was less common in the combination arm. In a prespecified interim analysis, the independent committee recommended stopping recruitment for futility prior to meeting the planned randomization of 366 patients. Cloxacillin plus fosfomycin did not achieve better treatment success at day 7 of therapy than cloxacillin alone in MSSA bacteremia. Further trials should consider the intrinsic heterogeneity of the infection by using a more personalized approach. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT03959345 .

Treatment outcomes with benzylpenicillin and non-benzylpenicillin antibiotics, and the performance of the penicillin zone-edge test versus molecular detection of blaZ in penicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (PSSA) bacteraemia.

OBJECTIVES: The blaZ gene encodes penicillinase, which inactivates penicillin. As there were reports on suboptimal sensitivity for the penicillin zone-edge test, a phenotypic method for blaZ detection, we investigated treatment outcomes in patients with penicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (PSSA) bacteraemia (phenotypically negative for penicillinase), subjecting isolates to molecular testing for blaZ retrospectively. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 121 patients with a first episode of PSSA bacteraemia from 1 January 2012 to 31 October 2015 at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), Singapore. Patients were grouped into IV benzylpenicillin and non-benzylpenicillin groups. The primary outcome was overall treatment failure, defined as either 30 day all-cause mortality and/or 90 day relapse. The penicillin (P10) zone-edge test was repeated on archived PSSA isolates, concurrently with penicillin MIC determination via gradient diffusion and PCR for blaZ. RESULTS: Among 121 patients, 57 patients (47.1%) received IV benzylpenicillin as the predominant antibiotic. There was no significant difference in overall treatment failure between treatment with the benzylpenicillin [7/57 (12.3%)] versus non-benzylpenicillin groups [12/64 (18.8%)] (P = 0.33) or cloxacillin/cefazolin [6/37 (16.2%)] (P = 0.59). For 112 PSSA isolates available for testing, repeat penicillin zone-edge testing was negative for penicillinase production, corroborating previous results. A single PSSA isolate with a negative penicillin zone-edge test was found to be positive for blaZ. CONCLUSIONS: We found no differences in overall treatment failure between patients with PSSA bacteraemia treated with benzylpenicillin, anti-staphylococcal ß-lactams cefazolin/cloxacillin and other antimicrobials, when using the penicillin zone-edge test as the phenotypic method for blaZ screening.

No difference in risk of revision due to infection between clindamycin and cephalosporins as antibiotic prophylaxis in cemented primary total knee replacements: a report from the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register 2005-2020.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Systemic antibiotic prophylaxis with clindamycin, which is often used in penicillin- or cephalosporin-allergic patients', has been associated with a higher risk of surgical revision for deep prosthetic joint infection (PJI) than cloxacillin in primary total knee replacement (TKR). We aimed to investigate whether clindamycin increases the risk of surgical revisions due to PJI compared with cephalosporins in primary cemented TKR. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 59,081 TKRs in the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register (NAR) 2005-2020 was included. 2,655 (5%) received clindamycin and 56,426 (95%) received cephalosporins. Cox regression analyses were performed with adjustment for sex, age groups, diagnosis, and ASA score. Survival times were calculated using Kaplan-Meier estimates and compared using Cox regression with revision for PJI as endpoint. The cephalosporins cefalotin and cefazolin were also compared. RESULTS: Of the TKRs included, 1.3% (n = 743) were revised for PJI. 96% (n = 713) had received cephalosporins and 4% (n = 30) clindamycin for perioperative prophylaxis. Comparing cephalosporins (reference) and clindamycin, at 3-month follow-up the adjusted hazard ratio rate (HRR) for PJI was 0.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4-1.4), at 1 year 0.9 (CI 0.6-1.5), and at 5 years 0.9 (CI 0.6-1.4). Analysis using propensity score matching showed similar results. Furthermore, comparing cefalotin (reference) and cefazolin, HRR was 1.0 (CI 0.8-1.4) at 3 months and 1.0 (CI 0.7-1.3) at 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: We found no difference in risk of revision for PJI when using clindamycin compared with cephalosporins in primary cemented TKRs. It appears safe to continue the use of clindamycin in penicillin- or cephalosporin-allergic patients.

Negatively controlled trial investigating the effects of dry cow therapy on clinical mastitis and culling in multiparous cows.

Blanket dry cow therapy (DCT) is a major contributor to overall antibiotic usage on dairy farms in the United States. With low prevalence of intramammary infections at dry-off in US herds today, alternative DCT approaches have been the focus of much research. We hypothesized that complete cessation of DCT [i.e., use of internal teat sealants (ITS) only at dry-off] could be a practical alternative to blanket DCT in well-managed herds. The objective of this negatively controlled clinical trial was to determine the effects of DCT on clinical mastitis (CM) and removal from the herd during the dry period and the first 200 d of the subsequent lactation in multiparous dairy cows treated with only ITS at dry-off. As a secondary objective, we conducted exploratory analysis to identify subpopulations in the herd (based on parity, previous CM history, and dry-period length) where DCT would not affect postcalving udder health, to generate hypotheses about potential alternative selective DCT programs. The study was conducted in a commercial dairy herd in South Dakota from June 2020 to January 2021. Dry-off sessions (n = 43) were scheduled such that all cows at a given session were dried off using ITS alone (ITS only, n = 20 sessions, n = 1,108 cows) or an intramammary DCT product containing 500 mg of cloxacillin (Dry-Clox, Boehringer Ingelheim) followed by ITS (ITS+ABX, n = 23 sessions, n = 1,331 cows). Culling and CM events were recorded by farm workers who were blinded to the treatment status of cows. Hazard ratios (HR) for the effects of the treatment group on CM and removal from the herd were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards, adjusting for the clustered treatment allocation strategy. Risk of removal from the herd during the dry period was lower in ITS+ABX than ITS-only cows (1.1 vs. 2.7%; HR = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.81). Risk of removal from the herd during the first 200 d of lactation was similar in ITS+ABX and ITS-only cows (17.3 vs. 18.0%; HR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.82 to 1.18). Risk of CM during the first 200 d of lactation was lower in ITS+ABX cows (6.9%; HR = 0.56; 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.76) compared with ITS-only cows (13.4%). The beneficial effects of DCT on CM and removal from the herd were consistently observed across strata of parity, previous CM history, and dry-period length, indicating that no subpopulations could be identified to withhold DCT. The findings from this study indicate that the omission of DCT from the dry-off procedure, when udder health is not taken into consideration, in multiparous cows can have a negative effect on cow health and welfare. Findings from previous research suggest that culture- or algorithm-guided selective dry cow therapy are likely to be safer approaches to improving antibiotic stewardship.

Transfer of ß-lactam and tetracycline antibiotics from spiked bovine milk to Dambo-type cheese, whey, and whey powder.

The aim of this study was to investigate the transfer of residues of five ß-lactam antibiotics (ampicillin, penicillin G, cloxacillin, dicloxacillin and cephalexin) and two tetracyclines (tetracycline and oxytetracycline) in the processing of cheese and whey powder, evaluating the effect of the processes and the final concentration in each product generated. Raw milk was fortified at two concentration levels with the seven antibiotics. The first concentration level (C1) was chosen according to the maximum residue limit (MRL) of each antibiotic (ampicillin and penicillin G: 4 µg kg-1; cloxacillin and dicloxacillin: 30 µg kg-1; cephalexin, tetracycline and oxytetracycline: 100 µg kg-1). The second concentration level (C2) was spiked as follows according to each antibiotic: 0.5 MRL (cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, cephalexin), 0.1 MRL (tetracycline and oxytetracycline) and 3 MRL (ampicillin and penicillin G). The antibiotics were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. No ampicillin or penicillin G residues were found in cheese or whey powder, although they were detected in whey at concentrations similar to those added to raw milk. Cephalexin was mostly distributed in whey between 82% and 96%, being the antibiotic that presented the highest concentration in whey powder (784 ± 98 µg kg-1) when milk was spiked at the MRL. The whey distribution of cloxacillin and dicloxacillin ranged from 57% to 59% for cloxacillin and from 46% to 48% for dicloxacillin, and both concentrated in whey powder. Tetracyclines were the antibiotics that concentrated in cheese, with retentions between 75% and 80% for oxytetracycline and between 83% and 87% for tetracycline. The distribution of antibiotics in the dissimilar stages of the cheese and whey powder production processes, as well as their concentration in the final products, depend on each type of antibiotic. Knowledge of the transfer of antibiotic residues during the process and final disposal is an input for the risk assessment of their consumption.

Correlation between Bacterial Cell Density and Abundance of Antibiotic Resistance on Milking Machine Surfaces Assessed by Cultivation and Direct qPCR Methods.

The relative abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistance genes was surveyed for different parts of a milking machine. A cultivation approach based on swab samples showed a highly diverse microbiota, harboring resistances against cloxacillin, ampicillin, penicillin, and tetracycline. This approach demonstrated a substantial cloxacillin resistance of numerous taxa within milking machine microbiota coming along with regular use of cloxacillin for dry-off therapy of dairy cows. For the less abundant tetracycline-resistant bacteria we found a positive correlation between microbial cell density and relative abundance of tetracycline-resistant microorganisms (R2 = 0.73). This indicated an accelerated dispersion of resistant cells for sampling locations with high cell density. However, the direct quantification of the tetM gene from the swap samples by qPCR showed the reverse relation to bacterial density if normalized against the abundance of 16S rRNA genes (R2 = 0.88). The abundance of 16S rRNA genes was analyzed by qPCR combined with a propidium monoazide treatment, which eliminates 16S rRNA gene signals in negative controls.

Development and validation of a dosing nomogram for continuous infusion cloxacillin in infective endocarditis.

BACKGROUND: Cloxacillin is the first-line treatment for methicillin-susceptible staphylococcal infective endocarditis (IE). The recommended dose is 12 g per day regardless of the patient characteristics, despite the importance of renal function on its pharmacokinetics. OBJECTIVES: We sought to build a population pharmacokinetics model of continuous infusion cloxacillin in IE patients to evaluate the influence of multiple covariates and then develop a nomogram based on significant covariates for individual adaptation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included patients of a local IE cohort who were treated with cloxacillin administered by continuous infusion, excluding those who received intermittent or continuous dialysis, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or extracorporeal circulation. The population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using Pmetrics. The influence of weight, ideal weight, height, body mass index, body surface area, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) calculated with the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration formula (both expressed in mL/min/1.73 m² and in mL/min) and serum protein level on cloxacillin pharmacokinetics was assessed. Accounting for relevant covariates, a dosing nomogram was developed to determine the optimal daily dose required to achieve a steady-state plasma concentration range of 20-50 mg/L with a probability ≥0.9. RESULTS: A total of 114 patients (331 plasma concentrations) were included. A one-compartment model including GFR expressed in mL/min as a covariate was chosen. Using the nomogram, achieving the cloxacillin concentration target requires a daily dose ranging from 3.5 to 13.1 g for a GFR ranging from 20 to 125 mL/min. CONCLUSIONS: This work provided a practical tool for cloxacillin dose adjustment in IE according to renal function.

Antibiotic-Induced Neutropenia in Patients Receiving Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy: a Retrospective Cohort Study.

Our research objective was to describe the incidence and management of antibiotic-induced neutropenia in patients receiving outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) at our institution over a 7-year period. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients followed by the OPAT clinic from 1 July 2016 to 30 March 2022 who developed antibiotic-induced neutropenia (defined as an absolute neutrophil count of ≤1.5 × 109/L). Patients receiving vancomycin in the OPAT clinic received weekly laboratory monitoring, while those receiving other antibiotics received laboratory monitoring at week 3 of therapy. Out of the 2,513 treatment courses, 55 cases of antibiotic-induced neutropenia were identified, resulting in an incidence of 2.2 cases per 100 treatment courses (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7 to 2.9). Of the 45 cases for which a sole cause was identified, the three most common intravenous antibiotic culprits were vancomycin (21/541; 3.9%), ceftriaxone (10/490; 2.0%), and cloxacillin (2/103; 1.9%). Five (9.1%) patients had symptoms accompanying neutropenia that warranted hospital admission. There were no deaths, and all patients recovered their neutrophil count after antibiotic discontinuation or completion. In nine cases (16.3%), the culprit beta-lactam antibiotic was changed to another beta-lactam agent containing a structurally different side chain, with successful recovery of the neutrophil count in 9/9 (100%). The highest risk of antibiotic-induced neutropenia was associated with vancomycin, ceftriaxone, and cloxacillin in our cohort. With standardized outpatient monitoring during the third week of OPAT, cases of neutropenia can be detected early and managed without hospitalization. Data from our study also support the safety of switching to alternate beta-lactams with structurally different side chains.

Reproducible Quantification of Unbound Fractions of Four Beta-Lactam Antibiotics: Ultrafiltration Versus Microdialysis of Spiked Healthy Donor Plasma.

BACKGROUND: Ultrafiltration (UF) is a conventional method for isolating the protein-unbound plasma fractions of therapeutic drugs. However, the ideal UF conditions for specific compounds remain largely unexplored. By comparing UF-derived unbound concentrations with the corresponding results obtained using a reference method, the authors sought to identify appropriate UF conditions for cefotaxime, cloxacillin, flucloxacillin, and piperacillin. METHODS: In vitro microdialysis (MD) with a no-net-flux approach was used as a reference method for plasma protein separation, for which UF performance was assessed. Four levels of relative centrifugal force (2500-11,290 g ) and 2 levels of temperature (37 vs. 22°C) during 10 minutes of UF centrifugation were evaluated. Ultrafiltrates and reference microdialysates were analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to obtain unbound concentrations. After identifying the appropriate UF conditions in the spiked plasma samples, exploratory analyses of clinical samples (n = 10 per analyte) were performed. RESULTS: Of the evaluated UF alternatives, the best overall agreement with the MD-derived reference concentrations was obtained with 11,290 g UF performed at 22°C. For cloxacillin specifically, 37°C UF yielded better agreement than 22°C UF at 11,290 g. Clinical sample analyses indicated minimal differences between 22°C and 37°C at 11,290 g UF for cefotaxime and piperacillin. However, consistently lower levels of unbound cloxacillin (median: -23%, IQR: -19% to -24%) and flucloxacillin (median: -27%, IQR: -21 to -34%) were observed after UF at 22°C versus 37°C. CONCLUSIONS: For the evaluated UF device, 10 minutes of 11,290 g UF at 22°C is appropriate for flucloxacillin, cefotaxime, and piperacillin, and can arguably be justified for cloxacillin as well for laboratory practice purposes. Maintenance of 37°C during high-centrifugal UF may lead to overestimation, particularly for unbound flucloxacillin.

Risk Factors for Nephrotoxicity in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteraemia: A Post Hoc Analysis of the CAMERA2 Trial.

BACKGROUND: Clinical risk factors for nephrotoxicity in Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia remain largely undetermined, despite its common occurrence and clinical significance. In an international, multicentre, prospective clinical trial (CAMERA2), which compared standard therapy (vancomycin monotherapy) to combination therapy (adding an anti-staphylococcal beta-lactam) for methicillin-resistant S. aureus bacteraemia, significantly more people in the combination therapy arm experienced acute kidney injury compared with those in the monotherapy arm (23% vs 6%). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this post hoc analysis was to explore in greater depth the risk factors for acute kidney injury from the CAMERA2 trial. METHODS: Among participants of the CAMERA2 trial, demographic-related, infection-related and treatment-related risk factors were assessed for their relationship with acute kidney injury by univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Acute kidney injury was defined by a modified-KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) criteria (not including urinary output). RESULTS: Of the 266 participants included, age (p = 0.04), randomisation to combination therapy (p = 0.002), vancomycin area under the concentration-time curve (p = 0.03) and receipt of (flu)cloxacillin as the companion beta-lactam (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with acute kidney injury. On a multivariable analysis, concurrent use of (flu)cloxacillin increased the risk of acute kidney injury over four times compared with the use of cefazolin or no beta-lactam. The association of vancomycin area under the concentration-time curve with acute kidney injury also persisted in the multivariable model. CONCLUSIONS: For participants receiving vancomycin for S. aureus bacteraemia, use of (flu)cloxacillin and increased vancomycin area under the concentration-time curve were risk factors for acute kidney injury. These represent potentially modifiable risk factors for nephrotoxicity and highlight the importance of avoiding the use of concurrent nephrotoxins.

The Choice of Antibiotic Prophylaxis Influences the Infection Reoperation Rate in Primary Shoulder Arthroplasty: Analysis From the Swedish Shoulder Arthroplasty Register.

BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic joint infection is a serious complication and a major reason for revision surgery after primary shoulder arthroplasty. The prophylactic antibiotics for primary shoulder arthroplasty that have predominantly been used in Sweden are cloxacillin and clindamycin. To address Cutibacteriumacnes , benzylpenicillin has recently increasingly been added to cloxacillin, but it is unclear which antibiotic prophylaxis regimen is the most effective to prevent periprosthetic joint infection. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: After controlling for baseline differences among patients such as age, gender, previous surgery, cement fixation, and arthroplasty type, was the risk of reoperation for infection higher in patients who received cloxacillin than in those who received clindamycin or the combination of benzylpenicillin and cloxacillin? METHODS: Data from the Swedish Shoulder Arthroplasty Register were used for this study. The inclusion criterion was registered antibiotic prophylaxis in primary arthroplasty. Between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2019, 22,470 primary shoulder arthroplasties, including total shoulder, hemiarthroplasty, and reverse shoulder arthroplasties, were entered into the Swedish Shoulder Arthroplasty Register. Reporting of antibiotic prophylaxis to the register was introduced on January 1, 2013. Since then, the completeness of information on the type of antibiotic prophylaxis in the reports has been 85.3%. Consequently, 10,706 arthroplasties were eligible and fulfilled the inclusion criterion of reported antibiotic prophylaxis. A further 129 were excluded because of unusual prophylaxis regimens, leaving 10,577 shoulder arthroplasties for analysis. The Swedish Shoulder Arthroplasty Register gathers information from all 60 hospitals performing shoulder arthroplasty in Sweden, and through a comparison with the National Patient Register, it has been estimated that more than 90% of all primary shoulder arthroplasties and shoulder reoperations are reported to the register. The age of the study population ranged between 16 and 98 years; the mean age at the primary surgery was 70 ± 10 years for the entire cohort, with a mean age of 67 ± 10 years and 72 ± 9 years for men and women, respectively. The mean observation period was 989 ± 669 days. From 2013 to 2019, there was a clear change in prophylaxis; in particular, the use of the combination of benzylpenicillin and cloxacillin increased dramatically and the use of cloxacillin alone decreased. Clindamycin prophylaxis increased moderately. The primary study endpoint was reported reoperation for infection. In the register, this is defined as repeat procedures of any kind, including biopsy, lavage of the joint, or revision, defined as secondary surgery in which a component was exchanged, removed, or added. To compare the reoperation rate in relation to the different antibiotics used, which changed over time, we controlled for age, gender, previous surgery, cement fixation, and arthroplasty type using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: When adjusting for age, gender, previous surgery, cement fixation, and arthroplasty type, cloxacillin prophylaxis was associated with an increased relative risk of reoperation for infection compared with the combination of cloxacillin and benzylpenicillin (hazard ratio [HR] 2.40 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.35 to 4.25]; p = 0.003) and compared with clindamycin alone (HR 1.78 [95% CI 1.11 to 2.85]; p = 0.02). No difference was found between the cloxacillin and benzylpenicillin combination and clindamycin (HR 0.74 [95% CI 0.42 to 1.32]; p = 0.31). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that prophylaxis against C. acnes may be warranted in shoulder arthroplasty. Because the absolute number of infections was low and infections could have been underreported to the register, our results should be interpreted with caution. There is no available information about the causative microorganisms. The study lays the groundwork for further investigations of antibiotic prophylaxis regimens in shoulder arthroplasty. Because large randomized controlled trials would be impractical to perform, prospective register-based randomized controlled studies might be a viable method. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level Ⅲ, therapeutic study.

Synergistic Combinations of FDA-Approved Drugs with Ceftobiprole against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

New strategies are urgently needed to address the public health threat of antimicrobial resistance. Synergistic agent combinations provide one possible pathway toward addressing this need and are also of fundamental mechanistic interest. Effective methods for comprehensively identifying synergistic agent combinations are required for such efforts. In this study, an FDA-approved drug library was screened against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (ATCC 43300) in the absence and presence of sub-MIC levels of ceftobiprole, a PBP2a-targeted anti-MRSA ß-lactam. This screening identified numerous potential synergistic agent combinations, which were then confirmed and characterized for synergy using checkerboard analyses. The initial group of synergistic agents (sum of the minimum fractional inhibitory concentration ∑FICmin ≤0.5) were all ß-lactamase-resistant ß-lactams (cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, flucloxacillin, oxacillin, nafcillin, and cefotaxime). Cloxacillin-the agent with the greatest synergy with ceftobiprole-is also highly synergistic with ceftaroline, another PBP2a-targeted ß-lactam. Further follow-up studies revealed a range of ceftobiprole synergies with other ß-lactams, including with imipenem, meropenem, piperacillin, tazobactam, and cefoxitin. Interestingly, given that essentially all other ceftobiprole-ß-lactam combinations showed synergy, ceftaroline and ceftobiprole showed no synergy. Modest to no synergy (0.5 < ∑FICmin ≤ 1.0) was observed for several non-ß-lactam agents, including vancomycin, daptomycin, balofloxacin, and floxuridine. Mupirocin had antagonistic activity with ceftobiprole. Flucloxacillin appeared particularly promising, with both a low intrinsic MIC and good synergy with ceftobiprole. That so many ß-lactam combinations with ceftobiprole show synergy suggests that ß-lactam combinations can generally increase ß-lactam effectiveness and may also be useful in reducing resistance emergence and spread in MRSA. IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance represents a serious threat to public health. Antibacterial agent combinations provide a potential approach to combating this problem, and synergistic agent combinations-in which each agent enhances the antimicrobial activity of the other-are particularly valuable in this regard. Ceftobiprole is a late-generation ß-lactam antibiotic developed for MRSA infections. Resistance has emerged to ceftobiprole, jeopardizing this agent's effectiveness. To identify synergistic agent combinations with ceftobiprole, an FDA-approved drug library was screened for potential synergistic combinations with ceftobiprole. This screening and follow-up studies identified numerous ß-lactams with ceftobiprole synergy.

Biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance among Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus species isolated from central venous catheters of intensive care unit patients.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the biofilm formation of coagulase negative Staphylococcus species (CoNS) isolated from patients with catheter related blood stream infection (CRBSI) and colonized central venous catheters (CVC) and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns and in situ biofilm formation of CVC tips. METHODS: Eighty-two CoNS isolated from intensive care unit (ICU) patients with CRBSI (n â€‹= â€‹8) or colonized CVC (n â€‹= â€‹74) were included. Species identification and antibiotic susceptibility test were done. All isolates were screened for biofilm formation using crystal violet and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2-5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays and categorized as strong or moderate biofilm formers. CVC tips were subjected to crystal violet stain and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to detect in-situ biofilm formation. RESULTS: Staphylococcus haemolyticus (n â€‹= â€‹34; 41%) was the commonest to cause both CRBSI and CVC colonization. All 82 CoNS produced biofilms. Among them 77 (93.90%) were strong biofilm formers including all from CRBSI patients and 05 (6.10%) were moderate biofilm formers as detected by both methods. SEM showed bacteria adhered to surfaces of CVC tips with microbial-aggregates embedded in extracellular matrix. Mean crystal violet absorbance of CVC from CRBSI patients (0.6628) was significantly higher than colonized CVC (mean value 0.5592) (p â€‹= â€‹0.030). S. haemolyticus showed higher resistance to cloxacillin compared to other CoNS (p â€‹= â€‹0.039). CONCLUSION: Majority of CoNS isolated were strong biofilm formers. In-situ biofilm formation on CVC tips were significantly evident in CRBSI patients compared to CVC colonized patients. S. haemolyticus is the commonest to cause both CRBSI and CVC colonization and shows significantly higher cloxacillin resistance rate.

The issue beyond resistance: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm formation is induced by subinhibitory concentrations of cloxacillin, cefazolin, and clindamycin.

Staphylococcus epidermis is one of the most frequent causes of device-associated infections due to biofilm formation. Current reports noted that subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics induce biofilm production in some bacteria. Accordingly, we evaluated the effect of exposure of different subinhibitory concentrations of cloxacillin, cefazolin, clindamycin, and vancomycin on the biofilm formation of methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and minimum inhibitory/bactericidal concentration of antimicrobial agents were determined. MRSE isolates were selected, and their biofilm formation ability was evaluated. The effect of subinhibitory concentrations of cloxacillin, cefazolin, clindamycin, and vancomycin, antibiotics selected among common choices in the clinic, on MRSE biofilm formation was determined by the microtitre method. Besides, the effect of subinhibitory concentrations of cloxacillin, cefazolin, clindamycin, and vancomycin on the expression of the biofilm-associated genes icaA and atlE was evaluated by Reverse-transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of MRSE strains showed a high level of resistance as follows: 80%, 53.3%, 33.3%, 33.3%, and 26.6%, for erythromycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, clindamycin, and gentamicin, respectively. Besides, 73.3% of S. epidermidis strains were Multidrug-resistant (MDR). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were in the range of 0.5 to512 µg/mL and 1 to1024 µg/mL for cloxacillin, 0.125 to256 µg/mL and 1 to512 µg/mL for cefazolin, 0.125 to64 µg/mL and 4 to>1024 µg/mL for clindamycin, and 2 to32 µg/mL and 4 to32 µg/mL for vancomycin, respectively. The findings showed that subinhibitory concentrations of cloxacillin, cefazolin, and clindamycin induce biofilm production in MRSE strains. In particular, the OD values of strains were in the range of 0.09-0.95, 0.05-0.86, and 0.06-1 toward cloxacillin, cefazolin, and clindamycin, respectively. On the other hand, exposure to subinhibitory vancomycin concentrations did not increase the biofilm formation in MRSE strains. The findings also demonstrated that sub-MIC of antibiotics up-regulated biofilm-associated genes. In particular, atlE and icaA were up-regulated 0.062 to 1.16 and 0.078 to 1.48 folds, respectively, for cloxacillin, 0.11 to 0.8, and 0.1 to 1.3 folds for cefazolin, 0.18 to 0.98, and 0.19 to 1.4 folds, respectively, for clindamycin. In contrast, the results showed that sub-MIC of vancomycin did not increase the biofilm-associated genes. These findings overall show that exposure to sub-MIC of traditional antibiotics can cause biofilm induction in MRSE, thereby increasing the survival and persistence on various surfaces that worsen the condition of comorbid infections.

The Synthesis and Evaluation of Diethyl Benzylphosphonates as Potential Antimicrobial Agents.

The impact of substituent at phenyl ring of diethyl benzylphosphonate derivatives on cytotoxic activity was studied. The organophosphonates were obtained based on developed palladium-catalyzed α, ß-homodiarylation of vinyl esters protocol. The new synthetic pathway toward 1,2-bis(4-((diethoxyphosphoryl)methyl)phenyl)ethyl acetate was proposed which significantly improves the overall yield of the final product (from 1% to 38%). Several newly synthesized organophosphonates were tested as new potential antimicrobial drugs on model Escherichia coli bacterial strains (K12 and R2-R3). All tested compounds show the highest selectivity and activity against K12 and R2 strains. Preliminary cellular studies using MIC and MBC tests and digestion of Fpg after modification of bacterial DNA suggest that selected benzylphosphonate derivatives may have greater potential as antibacterial agents than typically used antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, bleomycin and cloxacillin. These compounds are highly specific for pathogenic E. coli strains based on the model strains used and may be engaged in the future as new substitutes for commonly used antibiotics, which is especially important due to the increasing resistance of bacteria to various drugs and antibiotics.