Teicoplanin non-susceptible coagulase-negative staphylococci in a large Australian healthcare network: Implications for treatment with vancomycin

• Main Authors: W. R. P. L. I. Wijesooriya, D. N. Kotsanas, T. M. Korman, M Graham
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sri Lankan Society for Microbiology 2017-05-01
• Series: Sri Lankan Journal of Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: coagulase-negative staphylococci, teicoplanin, vancomycin
• Online Access: https://sljid.sljol.info/articles/8116

<p><strong>Introduction and Objectives:</strong> Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are relatively low in virulence but some are increasingly recognized as agents of clinically important infections. Glycopeptides are the drugs of choice for treatment of methicillin-resistant CoNS infections. Our aim was to analyse the susceptibility profile of CoNS in our healthcare network from 2010-2012.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> All CoNS with susceptibility results were analysed as two groups; teicoplanin-susceptible (Teico-S) and non–susceptible (Teico-NS). Analysis included results of other antistaphylococcal antibiotic susceptibilities, sample type (sterile, non-sterile), species and patient location (intensive care unit (ICU) vs non-ICU).</p><p> </p><p><strong>Results:</strong> Of the 1510 CoNS isolates with susceptibility results, 109 (7.2%) were non-susceptible to teicoplanin. Teicoplanin non-susceptibility was associated with non-susceptibility to ≥ 3 antistaphylococcal-antibiotics, detected more frequently from sterile samples compared to non-sterile samples and from ICU compared to ward patients. <em>Staphylococcus epidermidis</em> was the most common species recovered and was more likely to be Teico-NS.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Teicoplanin non-susceptibility is associated with multi-resistance to ≥3 antistaphylococcal antibiotics. Clinicians should be aware that vancomycin resistance may be selected from Teico-NS strains.</p>