Dalbavancin exposure in vitro selects for dalbavancin-non-susceptible and vancomycin-intermediate strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

ObjectivesDalbavancin is a lipoglycopeptide active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Its long half-life (8.5–16 days) allows for once-weekly or single-dose treatments but could prolong the mutant selection window, promoting resistance and cross-resistance to related antimicrobials such as vancomycin. The objective of this study was to evaluate the capacity of post-distributional pharmacokinetic exposures of dalbavancin to select for resistance and cross-resistance in MRSA.MethodsWe simulated average, post-distributional exposures of single-dose (1500 mg) dalbavancin (fCmax 9.9 μg/mL, β-elimination t_1/2 204 h) in an in vitro pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model for 28 days (672 h) against five MRSA strains and one methicillin-susceptible strain (MSSA). Samples were collected at least daily, and surviving colonies were enumerated and screened for resistance on drug-free and dalbavancin-supplemented medium respectively. Isolates from resistance screening plates were subjected to whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and susceptibly testing against dalbavancin, vancomycin, daptomycin, and six β-lactams with varying penicillin-binding protein (PBP) affinities.ResultsDalbavancin was bactericidal against most strains for days 1–4 before regrowth of less susceptible subpopulations occurred. Isolates with eight-fold increases in dalbavancin MIC were detected as early as day 4 but increased 64–128-fold in all models by day 28. Vancomycin and daptomycin MICs increased 4–16-fold, exceeding the susceptibly breakpoints for both antibiotics; β-lactam MICs generally decreased by two-to eight-fold, suggesting a dalbavancin–β-lactam seesaw effect, but increased by eight-fold or more in certain isolates. Resistant isolates carried mutations in a variety of genes, most commonly walKR, apt, stp1, and atl.ConclusionsIn our in vitro system, post-distributional dalbavancin exposures selected for stable mutants with reduced susceptibility to dalbavancin, vancomycin, and daptomycin, and generally increased susceptibility to β-lactams in all strains of MRSA tested. The clinical significance of these findings remains unclear, but created an opportunity to genotype a unique collection of dalbavancin-resistant strains for the first time. Mutations involved genes previously associated with vancomycin intermediate susceptibility and daptomycin non-susceptibility, most commonly walKR-associated genes.     

Telavancin activity tested against a contemporary collection of Gram-positive pathogens from USA Hospitals (2007-2009)

This study updates the activity of telavancin against Gram-positive pathogens collected from USA hospitals (2007-2009). Telavancin (MIC_50/90, 0.12/0.25 μg/mL) was active against coagulase-negative staphylococci and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (100% susceptible), for which only daptomycin (MIC_50/90, 0.25/0.5 μg/mL; 99% susceptible) and quinupristin/dalfopristin (MIC_50/90, ≤0.25-0.5/0.5 μg/mL; 99% susceptible) exhibited similar activity. Telavancin (MIC_50/90, 0.25/0.5 μg/mL) inhibited 96.5% of Enterococcus faecalis at the Food and Drug Administration breakpoint (MIC, ≤1 μg/mL), where ampicillin (99.9% susceptible), daptomycin (99.9% susceptible), and linezolid (100% susceptible) also demonstrated high-level coverage. Telavancin inhibited, respectively, 100.0% and 91.7% of VanB-phenotype E. faecalis and E. faecium at ≤1 μg/mL, whereas it was less active against VanA strains. Telavancin was uniformly active against Streptococcus pneumoniae and resistant subsets, and demonstrated good potency (MIC₉₀, 0.06-0.12 μg/mL) against other streptococci, regardless of resistance to other drugs. This assessment reveals potent activity of telavancin against Gram-positive isolates collected from USA hospitals with no evidence of emergence of resistance.     

Impact of human serum albumin on oritavancin in vitro activity against Staphylococcus aureus

Human serum albumin (HSA) did not affect oritavancin MICs against non–vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (non-VISA) strains. In time–kill assays, oritavancin bactericidal activity in the presence of HSA was significantly more rapid than comparators against non-VISA strains. HSA increased oritavancin MICs by 4-fold for VISA strains, reflective of reduced oritavancin activity in time–kill assays with HSA.     

Update on the telavancin activity tested against European staphylococcal clinical isolates (2009-2010)

This study evaluated telavancin activity against 3868 Staphylococcus aureus and 1003 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) collected from 33 European hospitals (2009-2010). Studies of telavancin potency included analysis of strains with decreased susceptibility to glycopeptides. Telavancin (MIC_50/90, 0.12/0.25 μg/mL) showed high activity against S. aureus and CoNS, regardless of the stratification analysis performed (year sampled, infection source, or methicillin susceptibility). In addition, telavancin (MIC_50/90, 0.25/0.5 μg/mL) retained activity against S. aureus isolates with higher vancomycin (MIC, 2 μg/mL) or teicoplanin (MIC, 2-8 μg/mL) MIC results. Overall, telavancin exhibited higher potency (at least 2-fold greater) than tested comparators (vancomycin, daptomycin, and linezolid) against European staphylococci. Alongside published clinical data, the telavancin in vitro activity observed against these pathogens supports this drug as an option for treating S. aureus infections in Europe, including those infections caused by strains with decreased susceptibility to vancomycin and/or teicoplanin.     

Worldwide summary of telavancin spectrum and potency against Gram-positive pathogens: 2007 to 2008 surveillance results

Telavancin was approved in the United States and Canada for the treatment of adult patients with complicated skin and skin-structure infections (cSSSI) caused by susceptible Gram-positive isolates. In this study, telavancin and comparator antimicrobial activities were determined against a total of 24?017 clinical isolates, including Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. (CoNS), Enterococcus spp., and various Streptococcus spp. Overall, telavancin was highly active across all geographic regions for S. aureus (MIC_50/90, 0.12/0.25 μg/mL; 100.0% susceptible), CoNS (MIC_50/90, 0.12/0.25 μg/mL), vancomycin-susceptible Enterococcus faecalis (MIC_50/90, 0.25/0.5 μg/mL; 100.0% susceptible), Enterococcus faecium (MIC_50/90, 0.06/0.12 μg/mL), Streptococcus pneumoniae (MIC_50/90, ≤0.015/0.03 μg/mL), viridans group Streptococcus spp. (MIC_50/90, 0.03/0.06 μg/mL; 100.0% susceptible), and β-hemolytic Streptococcus spp. (MIC_50/90, 0.03/0.12 μg/mL; 99.8% susceptible). Telavancin had potent activity against vancomycin-nonsusceptible, teicoplanin-susceptible (VanB) E. faecalis (MIC_50/90, 0.25/0.5 μg/mL) and E. faecium (MIC_50/90, 0.06/0.25 μg/mL). These in vitro results show continued activity for telavancin, which represents an important alternative available for treating cSSSI.     

Emergence of dalbavancin non-susceptible,vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) after treatment of MRSA central line-associated bloodstream infection with a dalbavancin- and vancomycin-containing regimen

ObjectivesDalbavancin is a long-acting lipoglycopeptide with activity against gram-positives, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The potential for lipoglycopeptides, with half-lives greater than 1 week, to select for resistance is unknown. Here we explore a case of MRSA central line-associated bloodstream infection in which dalbavancin and vancomycin non-susceptibility emerged in a urine isolate collected after the patient was treated with vancomycin and dalbavancin sequentially.MethodsIsolates from blood and urine underwent susceptibility testing, and whole genome sequencing (WGS). The blood isolate was subjected to successive passage in vitro in the presence of escalating dalbavancin concentrations and the emergent isolate was subjected to repeat susceptibility testing and WGS.ResultsThe blood isolate was fully susceptible to vancomycin; however, MICs of the urine isolate to dalbavancin, vancomycin, telavancin, and daptomycin were at least fourfold higher than the blood-derived strain. Both strains were indistinguishable by spa and variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) typing, and WGS revealed only seven variants, indicating clonality. Four variants affected genes, including a 3bp in-frame deletion in yvqF, a gene which has been implicated in glycopeptide resistance. Vancomycin and dalbavancin non-susceptibility emerged in the blood isolate after successive passage in vitro in the presence of dalbavancin, and WGS identified a single non-synonymous variant in yvqF.ConclusionsThis is the first case in which VISA has emerged in the context of a dalbavancin-containing regimen. The selection for cross-resistance to vancomycin in vitro by dalbavancin exposure alone is troubling. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility for emergence of dalbavancin non-susceptibility and glycopeptide cross-resistance arising following therapy.     

Evaluation of dalbavancin in combination with nine antimicrobial agents to detect enhanced or antagonistic interactions

Dalbavancin is a potent, once-weekly administered lipoglycopeptide that is active against a broad spectrum of Gram-positive species. Synergy studies were performed with dalbavancin and each of nine antimicrobial agents (90 tests in total) representing nine antimicrobial classes using the broth microdilution checkerboard method to establish in vitro interactive categories. Antagonism was not observed between dalbavancin and any of the antimicrobials tested. However, dalbavancin was synergistic or partially synergistic with oxacillin for staphylococci, including methicillin-resistant strains, vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus and enterococci, a significant finding that warrants further investigation to establish its potential clinical relevance.     

Telavancin activity tested against Gram-positive clinical isolates from European,Russian and Israeli hospitals (2011–2013) using a revised broth microdilution testing method: redefining the baseline activity of telavancin

Objectives: To reassess the activity of telavancin when tested against Gram-positive clinical pathogens recovered from hospitalized patients in European and adjacent regions using a revised broth microdilution method.

Methods: 11?601 consecutive, non-duplicate isolates originating from 36 institutions among 18 countries recovered between 2011 and 2013 were tested for susceptibility using a revised broth microdilution method for telavancin. Interpretive telavancin breakpoints appropriate for the method were those recently approved by the FDA and EUCAST, as available.

Results: Telavancin (MIC_50/90, 0.03/0.06?mg/l; 100.0% susceptible) was equally potent against methicillin-susceptible ((MSSA) and methicillin-resistant (MRSA) Staphylococcus aureus. All Enterococcus faecalis was susceptible to telavancin (MIC_50/90, 0.12/0.12?mg/l) and inhibited at the susceptibility breakpoint (i.e. ≤?0.25?mg/l), except for VanA-phenotype vancomycin-resistant isolates (telavancin MIC, >1?mg/l). Telavancin (?≤?0.015/0.03?mg/l) was active against vancomycin-susceptible Enterococcus faecium, while higher MIC values were obtained for VanA strains. Telavancin (both MIC₅₀ and MIC₉₀, ≤?0.015?mg/l) was potent against Streptococcus pneumoniae, beta-haemolytic streptococci (MIC_50/90, ≤?0.015/0.06?mg/l) and viridans group streptococci (MIC_50/90, ≤?0.015/0.03?mg/l).

Conclusions: Telavancin exhibited potent activity against this contemporary (2011–2013) collection of organisms, inhibiting indicated pathogens at or below the FDA/EUCAST-approved breakpoints for susceptibility. VanA-phenotype enterococci were less susceptible to telavancin, a feature observed using the previous testing method. These results redefine telavancin's activity against isolates from Europe.