| Summary: | Antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria has emerged as a fundamental threat to human health by increasing the mortality rates and economic costs associated with bacterial infections. The commensal pathogen Staphylococcus aureus provides a clear illustration of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis. The clinical use of antibiotics has driven the global spread of ‘waves’ of resistant strains; methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) are now a global problem in healthcare settings and a growing problem in the community [ 1 , 2 ]. Approximately one third of people show asymptomatic nasal carriage of S. aureus, and nasal carriage is associated with an elevated risk of developing invasive S. aureus infections. One strategy to combat S. aureus is to decolonize individuals who are carriers, thereby reducing the risk of future infection. For example, the topical antibiotic mupirocin has been widely used for nasal decolonization of S. aureus. However, the use of mupirocin has driven the spread of mupirocin resistance, highlighting the need to develop alternative decolonization agents [ 1 ]. Exeporfinium chloride (XF-73) is a novel, di-cationic porphyrin drug with high in vitro potency [ 3 ] that is being developed as a potential product for use in S. aureus decolonization.
|
|---|