In vitro activity of dalbavancin and five comparator agents against common and uncommon Gram-positive organisms isolated from cancer patients.

Dalbavancin is a long acting, bactericidal lipoglycopeptide. Its in vitro activity was compared with that of vancomycin, daptomycin, linezolid, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) and levofloxacin against 241 Gram-positive organisms isolated from cancer patients. The rank order of potency for the glycopeptides based on MIC90 (μg ml(-1)), that is, the concentration of antimicrobial agent required to inhibit 90% of isolates tested was dalbavancin (0.12 μg ml(-1))>daptomycin (1.0 μg ml(-1))>vancomycin (2.0 μg ml(-1)) for coagulase-negative staphylococci and Staphylococcus aureus isolates (including methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains). Dalbavancin had potent activity against staphylococcal isolates with vancomycin MICs⩾1.0 μg ml(-1). TMP/SMX also had potent activity against staphylococci including methicillin-resistant strains, whereas levofloxacin had moderate to poor anti-staphylococcal activity. Dalbavancin also exhibited more potent activity than vancomycin and daptomycin against Bacillus spp., Corynebacterium spp., Micrococcus spp. and various streptococci (including Streptococcus pneumoniae, viridans group streptococci (VGS), beta-hemolytic streptococci and gamma-hemolytic streptococci). MBC determinations showed that dalbavancin had potent bactericidal activity against MRSA with no tolerance being detected. These data suggest that dalbavancin may be considered as an alternative to vancomycin, especially in institutions wherein a substantial proportion of infections are caused by organisms with vancomycin MICs⩾1.0 μg ml(-1).