Vancomycin Therapy for MRSA Infections

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections often do not respond to vancomycin therapy, despite apparent susceptibility in vitro. In 2006, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute lowered the vancomycin susceptibility breakpoint to 2 µg/mL, and some experts recommend higher doses of vancomycin (sufficient to achieve trough levels of 15–20 µg/mL) for serious MRSA infections. In a recent, partly industry-supported study, investigators examined the association among vancomycin MICs, vancomycin dosing, and clinical outcomes of MRSA infections.

The researchers enrolled 95 consecutive adults with nosocomial MRSA infections who had received vancomycin therapy for ≥72 hours. Fifty-one patients (54%) had MRSA isolates with hi…