Combination Therapy With Fluoroquinolone in Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteremia

To study whether fluoroquinolone (trovafloxacin or levofloxacin), added to standard treatment, could reduce the high mortality and complication rates in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

Inclusion Criteria:

Adult patients with at least 1 blood culture positive for Staphylococcus aureus were included within 1 to 7 days of blood culture sampling.

Exclusion Criteria:

• age younger than 18 years
• imprisonment
• proven or suspected pregnancy
• breastfeeding, epilepsy
• another bacteremia during the previous 28 days
• polymicrobial bacteremia (_>3 microbes)
• history of allergy to any quinolone antibiotic
• previous tendinitis during fluoroquinolone therapy
• prior fluoroquinolone use for more than 5 days before randomization
• positive culture for Staphylococcus aureus only from a central intravenous catheter
• neutropenia (<0.5 x 109/L) or failure to supply an informed consent
• patients with bacteremia due to methicillin-resistant S. aureus and a S. aureus strain resistant to any fluoroquinolone
• patients with meningitis at the time of randomization