From the Guidelines
Bactroban (mupirocin) is recommended for the treatment of minor skin infections, such as impetigo and secondarily infected skin lesions, as it has been shown to be effective in clinical practice guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1.
Key Points to Consider
- Bactroban is typically applied to the affected area three times daily for 5-10 days.
- For nasal decolonization of MRSA, a specific nasal formulation is applied inside each nostril twice daily for 5 days.
- It is essential to complete the full course of treatment even if symptoms improve quickly to prevent recurrence and antibiotic resistance.
- Bactroban works by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis, specifically by binding to bacterial isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase, preventing bacteria from making essential proteins needed for survival.
Important Considerations
- Side effects are generally mild and may include burning, stinging, or irritation at the application site.
- If the infection worsens or doesn't improve within 3-5 days, consult a healthcare provider.
- The use of Bactroban is supported by the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines, which recommend it for the treatment of minor skin infections, such as impetigo and secondarily infected skin lesions 1.
Treatment Guidelines
- The guidelines recommend incision and drainage as the primary treatment for cutaneous abscesses, with antibiotic therapy recommended for abscesses associated with certain conditions, such as systemic toxicity or rapid progression 1.
- Bactroban is not recommended for the treatment of severe or extensive disease, such as bacteremia or infective endocarditis, for which other antibiotics, such as vancomycin or linezolid, are recommended 1.
From the Research
Bactrobam Use
- Bactrobam, also known as bacampicillin, is an orally administered ester of ampicillin that is rapidly and completely hydrolyzed in vivo to ampicillin 2.
- The most notable advantage of bacampicillin over ampicillin is its superior bioavailability, achieving significantly higher blood and tissue levels and attaining peak blood levels more rapidly than equimolar doses of oral ampicillin 2.
- Bacampicillin has been shown to be effective in the treatment of various infections, including urinary tract infections, sinusitis, otitis media, and chronic bronchitis 3, 4.
Clinical Efficacy
- In a study comparing bacampicillin with amoxicillin for the treatment of acute infections of the urinary tract, bacampicillin was found to be as effective as amoxicillin, with a satisfactory clinical response produced by bacampicillin in 98.6% of patients and by amoxicillin in 98.6% of patients 3.
- Another study found that bacampicillin administered twice daily was effective in eradicating 89% of the causative bacteria of urinary tract infections, compared to 86% with other regimens 4.
- Bacampicillin has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of acute sinusitis, with 92% and 96% of patients either cured or improved when treated with 400 and 800 mg bacampicillin twice daily, respectively 4.
Safety and Tolerability
- Bacampicillin has been found to be well tolerated, with adverse drug reactions due to bacampicillin at all dose levels being less frequent than those of other anti-microbials 4.
- The frequency of diarrhea was found to be lower with bacampicillin than with ampicillin, with a frequency of 2.4% seen in the group given 400 mg bacampicillin twice daily 4.
- Bacampicillin has also been found to have a lower frequency of allergic skin reactions compared to amoxicillin, with no allergic skin reactions occurring in patients receiving bacampicillin, compared to 2.7% of patients receiving amoxicillin 3.