Paradigm shift in the treatment of 'Staphylococcus aureus' bacteremia
The combination of antibiotics can significantly improve the prognosis of patients with high-risk Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (presence of bacteria in the blood), provided that it is applied selectively and in a personalized manner. This is stated in a study published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe and led by a team of researchers from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Barcelona, the Infectious Diseases Unit at Bellvitge University Hospital (HUB) and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL).
The combination of antibiotics can significantly improve the prognosis of patients with high-risk Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (presence of bacteria in the blood), provided that it is applied selectively and in a personalized manner. This is stated in a study published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe and led by a team of researchers from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Barcelona, the Infectious Diseases Unit at Bellvitge University Hospital (HUB) and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL).
The study results from a collaboration between a dozen Spanish hospitals within the framework of the Biomedical Research Networking Center for Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC) of the Carlos III Health Institute, which has funded the project. The study, whose first author is Francesc Escrihuela (HUB and IDIBELL), is led by Professor Jordi Carratalà (UB, HUB and IDIBELL) together with researcher Belén Gutiérrez (Virgen Macarena University Hospital and Seville Institute of Biomedicine).
S.aureus bacteremia is a common and serious infection, with a mortality rate of up to 30%. The study reanalysed individualized data from two previously conducted randomized clinical trials, differentiating patients according to their risk profile.
As Francesc Escrihuela explains, “the integration of risk and complication criteria can help identify patients who can truly benefit from combination therapy.”
Jordi Carratalà, professor at the UB’s Department of Clinical Sciences, emphasizes that “the results represent a real paradigm shift in the approach to this infection: we are moving from a uniform strategy for all patients to precision medicine based on individual risk.” He also highlights that this approach avoids unnecessary intensive treatment in low-risk patients and will contribute to improving the design of future clinical trials.