In vitro activity of daptomycin against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and S. aureus with known virulence factors, including community-acquired methicillin-resistant isolates.

The in vitro activity of daptomycin was evaluated against 360 multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates (including hospital-acquired isolates) and multidrug-susceptible community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus with known virulence genes. All isolates were inhibited at

Bactericidal action of daptomycin against stationary-phase and nondividing Staphylococcus aureus cells.

Most antibiotics with bactericidal activity require that the bacteria be actively dividing to produce rapid killing. However, in many infections, such as endocarditis, prosthetic joint infections, and infected embedded catheters, the bacteria divide slowly or not at all. Daptomycin is a lipopeptide antibiotic with a distinct mechanism of action that targets the cytoplasmic membrane of gram-positive organisms, including Staphylococcus aureus. Daptomycin is rapidly bactericidal against exponentially growing bacteria (a 3-log reduction in 60 min). The objectives of this study were to determine if daptomycin is bactericidal against nondividing S. aureus and to quantify the extent of the bactericidal activity. In high-inoculum methicillin-sensitive S. aureus cultures in stationary phase (10(10) CFU/ml), daptomycin displayed concentration-dependent bactericidal activity, requiring 32 micro/ml to achieve a 3-log reduction. In a study comparing several antibiotics at 100 microg/ml, daptomycin demonstrated faster bactericidal activity than nafcillin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and vancomycin. In experiments where bacterial cell growth was halted by the metabolic inhibitor carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone or erythromycin, daptomycin (10 microg/ml) achieved the bactericidal end point (a 3-log reduction) within 2 h. In contrast, ciprofloxacin (10 microg/ml) did not produce bactericidal activity. Daptomycin (2 microg/ml) remained bactericidal against cold-arrested S. aureus, which was protected from the actions of ciprofloxacin and nafcillin. The data presented here suggest that, in contrast to that of other classes of antibiotics, the bactericidal activity of daptomycin does not require cell division or active metabolism, most likely as a consequence of its direct action on the bacterial membrane.

Rapid bactericidal activity of daptomycin against methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus peritonitis in mice as measured with bioluminescent bacteria.

The rising rates of antibiotic resistance accentuate the critical need for new antibiotics. Daptomycin is a new antibiotic with a unique mode of action and a rapid in vitro bactericidal effect against gram-positive organisms. This study examined the kinetics of daptomycin's bactericidal action against peritonitis caused by methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in healthy and neutropenic mice and compared this activity with those of other commonly used antibiotics. CD-1 mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with lethal doses of MSSA (Xen-29) or MRSA (Xen-1), laboratory strains transformed with a plasmid containing the lux operon, which confers bioluminescence. One hour later, the animals were given a single dose of daptomycin at 50 mg/kg of body weight subcutaneously (s.c.), nafcillin at 100 mg/kg s.c., vancomycin at 100 mg/kg s.c., linezolid at 100 mg/kg via gavage (orally), or saline (10 ml/kg s.c.). The mice were anesthetized hourly, and photon emissions from living bioluminescent bacteria were imaged and quantified. The luminescence in saline-treated control mice either increased (neutropenic mice) or remained relatively unchanged (healthy mice). In contrast, by 2 to 3 h postdosing, daptomycin effected a 90% reduction of luminescence of MSSA or MRSA in both healthy and neutropenic mice. The activity of daptomycin against both MSSA and MRSA strains was superior to those of nafcillin, vancomycin, and linezolid. Against MSSA peritonitis, daptomycin showed greater and more rapid bactericidal activity than nafcillin or linezolid. Against MRSA peritonitis, daptomycin showed greater and more rapid bactericidal activity than vancomycin or linezolid. The rapid decrease in the luminescent signal in the daptomycin-treated neutropenic mice underscores the potency of this antibiotic against S. aureus in the immune-suppressed host.

In vitro activity of daptomycin against clinical isolates with reduced susceptibilities to linezolid and quinupristin/dalfopristin.

An initiative was taken to determine the in vitro activity of daptomycin against 85 Gram-positive isolates with reduced susceptibilities to linezolid and quinupristin/dalfopristin. Daptomycin had potent activity against all strains, with a Staphylococcus spp. minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) < or =2 microg/mL and an Enterococcus spp. MIC < or =8 microg/mL. Resistance to linezolid and quinupristin/dalfopristin appears to be independent of reduced susceptibility to daptomycin.

Genetic changes that correlate with reduced susceptibility to daptomycin in Staphylococcus aureus.

Daptomycin is a lipopeptide antibiotic with potent activity against gram-positive bacteria. Complete-genome comparisons of laboratory-derived Staphylococcus aureus with decreased susceptibility to daptomycin and their susceptible parent were used to identify genes that contribute to reduced susceptibility to daptomycin. Selective pressure of growth in sublethal concentrations of daptomycin resulted in the accumulation of mutations over time correlating with incremental decreases in susceptibility. Single point mutations resulting in amino acid substitutions occurred in three distinct proteins: MprF, a lysylphosphatidylglycerol synthetase; YycG, a histidine kinase; and RpoB and RpoC, the beta and beta' subunits of RNA polymerase. Sequence analysis of mprF, yycF, yycG, rpoB, and rpoC in clinical isolates that showed treatment-emergent increases in daptomycin MICs revealed point mutations in mprF and a nucleotide insertion in yycG, suggesting a role for these genes in decreased susceptibility to daptomycin in the hospital setting.