Abstract
Objective:
To report successful treatment using daptomycin for pyelonephritis associated with van cornycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) in a 27-week pregnant woman.
Case Summary:
A 20-year-old 27-week pregnant patient with a history of spina bifida, neurogenic bladder, and multiple hospitalizations for recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) was diagnosed with pyelonephritis. She was treated with daptomycin 260 mg (4 mg/kg) daily for 14 days on the basis of a urine culture that revealed E. faecium resistant to ampicillin, nitrofurantoin, and vancomycin. All cultures following treatment revealed no growth, and the patient as well as the neonate displayed no adverse effects.
Discussion:
VRE UTIs can be treated safely in pregnancy with nitrofurantoin, if the organism is susceptible. Other viable options in the treatment of VRE, including linezolid, doxycycline, and quinupristin/dalfopristin, have lower urinary concentrations, teratogenic risk, or limited findings regarding their safety in pregnancy. Daptomycin was selected in this case due to its efficacy in the treatment of VRE, high urinary concentrations, pregnancy category B, and one case report indicating its successful use in pregnancy.
Conclusions:
Treatment of VRE in pregnancy can be challenging due to the teratogenicity or unknown safety of available options. The use of daptomycin in our patient enabted a successful outcome of multidrug-resistant E. faecium in a complicated pregnant patient without observed neonatal abnormalities.
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