Grant: Operating Grant: Clinical Trials Projects

Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (SAB) is one the most common serious bacterial infections in the world. It can result in severe sepsis, spread of infection to organs, bones, joints or implanted medical devices, and death. There are an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 episodes per year in Canada resulting in approximately 2,000-3,000 deaths. The S. aureus Network Adaptive Platform (SNAP) is a funded international trial (Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, UK) evaluating multiple treatment strategies in parallel across all types of SAB. This application requests additional funding for Canadian-led studies to evaluate: (a) whether a combination of antibiotics (cefazolin with ertapenem) is more effective than other antibiotic regimens for methicillin-sensitive S. aureus bacteremia; (b) to determine in a randomized controlled trial whether adding an antibiotic called rifampin improves the treatment of a serious type of SAB involving prosthetic heart valves, and (c) to directly compare two antibiotics (vancomycin and daptomycin) commonly used for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) bacteremia to determine whether one should be preferred. These studies are collectively referred to as SNAP^2.