Daptomycin versus Standard Therapy for Bacteremia and Endocarditis Caused by Staphylococcus aureus

Alternative therapies for Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia and endocarditis are needed.

We randomly assigned 124 patients with S. aureus bacteremia with or without endocarditis to receive 6 mg of daptomycin intravenously per kilogram of body weight daily and 122 to receive initial low-dose gentamicin plus either an antistaphylococcal penicillin or vancomycin. The primary efficacy end point was treatment success 42 days after the end of therapy.