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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, September 2002, p. 2885-2888, Vol. 46, No. 9
0066-4804/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.46.9.2885-2888.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Efficacy of Quinupristin-Dalfopristin in Preventing Vascular Graft Infection Due to Staphylococcus epidermidis with Intermediate Resistance to Glycopeptides

Institute of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, University of Ancona,¹ Department of General Surgery, Istituto Nazionale Riposo e Cura Anziani Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, University of Ancona,² Biotechnology Centre, Research Department, Istituto Nazionale Riposo e Cura Anziani Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Ancona, Italy³

Received 30 October 2001/ Returned for modification 26 February 2002/ Accepted 3 May 2002

A rat model was used to investigate the efficacy of quinupristin-dalfopristin (Q-D) in the prevention of vascular prosthetic graft infection due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis with intermediate resistance to glycopeptides. The in vitro activity of the compound was compared to that of vancomycin by MIC determination and time-kill study. Moreover, the efficacy of collagen-sealed Q-D-soaked Dacron was evaluated in a rat model of graft infection. Graft infections were established in the subcutaneous tissue of the backs of 120 adult male Wistar rats. The in vivo study included a control group, one contaminated group that did not receive any antibiotic prophylaxis, two contaminated groups that received grafts soaked with 10 and 100 µg of Q-D per ml, respectively, and two contaminated groups that received grafts soaked with 10 and 100 µg of vancomycin per ml, respectively. Rats that received Dacron grafts soaked with 100 µg of Q-D per ml showed no evidence of infection (<10 CFU/ml). In contrast, for rats that received Dacron grafts soaked with 10 µg of Q-D per ml and Dacron grafts soaked with 10 or 100 µg of vancomycin per ml, the quantitative graft cultures demonstrated 2.2 x 10² ± 1.3 x 10², 2.2 x 10⁶ ± 1.9 x 10⁵, and 5.6 x 10² ± 0.3 x 10² CFU/ml, respectively. Taken together the results of the study demonstrate that the use of Dacron grafts soaked with Q-D can result in significant bacterial growth inhibition and show that this compound is potentially valuable for prevention of vascular prosthetic graft infection.