Tag: vancomycin

Categories : Antibiotics Injury & TraumaTags :

New Device Sprays Antibiotics Deep into Wounds

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The new device sprays mist to treat deep wound infections without causing kidney damage

Hongmin Sun demonstrating the new device.

A University of Missouri researcher has unveiled a safer, smarter way to fight drug-resistant infections. Hongmin Sun, an associate professor in the School of Medicine, demonstrated that a spray-mist device can deliver last-resort antibiotics directly into infected tissue without the harmful side effects often caused by delivery via the bloodstream.

In a recent study, researchers worked with an industry partner to use a needle-free device to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a dangerous bacterium that has become resistant to many common antibiotics.

The device successfully delivered the common last-resort antibiotic vancomycin deep into infected tissue without typical side effects such as kidney damage. Unlike topical creams or ointments that are easily wiped away or bloodstream delivery that risks organ damage, the spray-mist technology pushed the medicine through the skin to successfully treat the infection.

Sun collaborated with former Mizzou researcher Lakshmi Pulakat, now a professor of medicine at Tufts University, and Droplette Inc. to use the patented device for antibiotic delivery. The findings pave the way for future clinical trials as researchers seek FDA approval.

The team is hopeful the spray-mist device might one day be used in wound care in challenging settings.

“Whether it’s people with diabetic foot ulcers or soldiers hurt in battle, we wanted to come up with a new approach to treat these severely infected wounds in a more targeted way,” Sun said. “This can be a game-changing therapy for treating those with severely infected wounds.”

Pulakat said the technology is an example of compassionate care.

“This method of delivering last-resort antibiotics could prevent countless amputations and help save lives,” she said. “Dr. Sun is an internationally recognized expert in the field of pathogenic microbiology, and our collaboration with an industry partner has helped make this translational research possible.”

The study, “Preventing nephrotoxicity of vancomycin and attenuating deep tissue infections by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus via needle-free drug delivery by the Droplette micromist technology device” was published in Military Medicine.

By Brian Consiglio

Source: University of Missouri

Categories : AntibioticsTags :

First-line Antibiotic for C. Diff may be Weakening

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Clostridioides difficile. Credit: CDC

The antibiotic vancomycin, recommended as first-line treatment for infection caused by the deadly superbug Clostridioides difficile, may not be living up to its promise, according to new US-based research.

C. diff infection is the leading cause of death due to gastroenteritis in the US. It causes gastrointestinal symptoms ranging from diarrhoea and abdominal pain to toxic megacolon, sepsis and death.

Based on 2018 clinical practice guidelines, the use of oral vancomycin has increased by 54% in the past six years, but the clinical cure rates have decreased from nearly 100% in the early 2000’s to around 70% in contemporary clinical trials.

“Despite the increasing prevalence of data showing reduced effectiveness of vancomycin, there is a significant lack of understanding regarding whether antimicrobial resistance to these strains may affect the clinical response to vancomycin therapy,” reports Anne J. Gonzales-Luna, research assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research, UH College of Pharmacy, in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. “In fact, the prevailing view has been that antibiotic resistance to these strains are unlikely to impact clinical outcomes, given the high concentrations of vancomycin in stools.”

But the University of Houston College of Pharmacy team arrived at a different conclusion after sifting through research included in a multicentre study, which included adults treated with oral vancomycin between 2016-2021 for C. diff infection.

“We found reduced vancomycin susceptibility in C. difficile was associated with lower 30-day sustained clinical response and lower 14-day initial cure rates in the studied patient cohort,” said Gonzales-Luna.

The finding is cause for concern.

“It’s an alarming development in the field of C. diff as there are only two recommended antibiotics,” said Kevin Garey, professor of pharmacy practice and translational research. “If antimicrobial resistance increases in both antibiotics, it will complicate the management of C. diff infection leading us back to a pre-antibiotic era.”

Source: University of Houston