Comparison of Fusidic Acid Susceptibility of Staphylococci: A Multicenter Study

Abstract

Introduction: The increasing antibiotic resistance of staphylococci, an important factor among societal and hospital-sourced infection factors, reduces the treatment choices available. Fusidic acid (FA), the use of which has recently come to the agenda again, is thought to form a new alternative treatment for staphylococci infections. The aim of our study is to identify the FA resistance situation at certain centers compared to generally increasing antibiotic resistance, to present epidemiological data on new antibiotherapy methods and to aid in treatment planning. Materials and methods: With this aim we determined and compared the susceptibility of 2018 Staphylococcus aureus and 5242 Coagulase negative Staphylococci strains obtained at 11 centers in different regions of our country against FA, oxacillin, penicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin. Results: The Coagulase negative Staphylococci strains were determined to be more resistant to all antibiotics compared to S. aureus strains. When the means of all centers are examined, FA resistance was found in 7.1% of S. aureus strains and 55.1% of Coagulase negative Staphylococci strains. Of all antibiotics for both S. aureus and Coagulase negative Staphylococci strains the antibiotic that strains were most susceptible to was trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, while the antibiotic that most were resistant to was penicillin. Conclusion: In light of these findings, with high susceptibility of 92.9% for S. aureus strains to FA, it appears to be a good alternative treatment choice for S. aureus infections. Due to high resistance rates of methicillin-resistant Coagulase negative Staphylococci sourced infections, before treatment it is necessary to perform an antibiotic susceptibility test. We believe that broader scale and more comprehensive studies will provide guidance in planning treatment.