[Antibiotic treatment of enterococcal infections in gastroenterology with daptomycin - first experiences from the EU-CORE registry study (European Cubicin® Outcomes Registry and Experience)].

Enterococci are a frequent cause of nosocomial infections in gastroenterology. The increase of Enterococcus faecium infections with development of resistance to gentamicin and vancomycin as well as possible linezolid resistance require alternative antibiotic therapies. Study data show that daptomycin, a highly bactericidal antibiotic is effective in enterococcal infections. However, in Germany daptomycin is so far only approved for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections, bacteremia and infective endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus aureus. In the Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Halle (Saale) from May 2 009 to April 2 010 all gastroenterological patients with evidence of invasive enterococcal infection received intravenous daptomycin treatment at inclusion in the European Cubicin® Outcomes Registry and Experience (EU-CORE). Gastroenterological diseases treated were necrotising pancreatitis, infected pancreatic pseudocysts, abscesses, obstructive cholangitis and sepsis. The clinical outcome was retrospectively detected by protocol-defined criteria. A total of 13 patients (8 male, 5 female, median age 59 years) with microbiologically assured enterococcal infections (10 × E. faecium, including 1 × VRE, 6 × E. faecalis, including double infections) were treated with intravenous daptomycin (6 mg per kg body weight). In the presence of polymicrobial infections (10 of 13 patients), an additional anti-infective therapy was initiated according to sensitivity testing. Concomitantly a direct focus approach with stenting, puncture or drainage was performed. The clinical cure rate was 92 % (12 of 13 patients). One patient died from a non-surgically uncontrollable malignancy (Klatskin tumour Bismuth IIIb). There were no adverse events. These results allow us to conclude that antibiotic therapy with daptomycin in invasive or bacteraemic enterococcal infections leads to high cure rates (up to 90 % and more) when concomitant and adequate focus relief is performed. Larger clinical studies to obtain an extended drug approval are desirable. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.