In a fascinating article recently accepted for publication in the highly impactful journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, Bart and colleagues from the Office of Infectious Diseases, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, explore geographic shifts in enrollment in ABSSSI (among other infections) treatment trials...
Oritavancin: A Single-Dose Weapon in the Fight Against MRSA
Oritavancin is a new-generation antibiotic that is a lipoglycopeptide (there are only three of these approved by the FDA: oritavancin, telavancin and dalbavancin) indicated for the treatment of adults with ABSSSI caused by susceptible organisms, including Staphylococcus aureus (both MSSA and MRSA). It is a bactericidal agent and is a...
Omadacycline: A New Weapon in the Fight Against MRSA
Those of us “of a certain age” have a life-long familiarity with the tetracycline antibiotics. First introduced in the 1940s, their broad spectrum of activity against a number of important community pathogens was a great asset. Tetracyclines were used to treat a wide range of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria,...
THE MRSA SCOURGE
For the past 25 years, complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSIs), more recently termed acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSIs), have placed an increasing burden on healthcare systems.1 This burden is primarily due to the increased spread and persistence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in some regions. Over...
What is ABSSSI?
(a) The most abominable medical acronym ever (b) The most challenging tongue-twister in the Romulan language (c) Regulatory-speak from the US FDA (d) a 1989 American science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (e) (a) and (c) (f) (b) and...