Comparison of Cephalexin Versus Clindamycin for Suspected CA-MRSA Skin Infections

Comparison of Cephalexin Versus Clindamycin in the Empiric, Outpatient Treatment of Suspected Staphylococcal Cutaneous Infections in the Era of Community-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA-MRSA)

The purpose of this study is to help define the role of antibiotics in the treatment of pediatric skin infections caused by community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). The investigators hypothesize that treatment with cephalexin, a penicillin-like antibiotic to which CA-MRSA would be expected to be resistant, does not result in poorer outcomes than treatment with clindamycin, an antibiotic to which CA-MRSA is most often susceptible.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Staphylococcal Skin Infection; Abscess; Staphylococcal Infection; Folliculitis
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: cephalexin; Drug: clindamycin

Detailed Description

Community-associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA-MRSA) infections have increased significantly over the past decade. Nearly every major region of the country has reported infections with this organism, with some areas reporting a prevalence as high as 80%. Epidemiologic evidence points to the emergence of a new strain of MRSA within the community, with unique genetic and clinical characteristics that differentiate it from traditional hospital-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA). Unlike HA-MRSA, these CA-MRSA are often susceptible in vitro to multiple antibiotic classes (other than penicillins and cephalosporins), and often cause significant, deep-seated abscesses in healthy individuals without any known risk factors for healthcare contact. Prior to awareness of this disease, many clinicians were using penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics for empiric treatment of cutaneous abscesses, yet widespread treatment failures in the face of increasing CA-MRSA infections did NOT occur. During a one-year retrospective study in pediatric patients at our institution, we found that nearly 50% of CA-MRSA abscesses were treated with "inappropriate" antibiotics by susceptibility profiles without any significant adverse outcomes. Many clinicians are now confronted with the dilemma of whether to change empiric antibiotic therapy to other classes to which CA-MRSA would be expected to be susceptible; the most common choices including clindamycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), or vancomycin. Unfortunately, each of these antibiotics has problems of its own in terms of increased cost, poor palatability of pediatric liquid formulation, poorer side effect profile, or necessity of IV infusion, and at this time the optimal, empiric antibiotic treatment for presumed CA-MRSA skin and soft tissue infections is unclear.

The purpose of this study is to help define the role of antibiotics in the treatment of pediatric skin infections caused by CA-MRSA. We hypothesize that treatment with cephalexin, a penicillin-like antibiotic to which CA-MRSA would be expected to be resistant, does not result in poorer outcomes than treatment with clindamycin, an antibiotic to which CA-MRSA is most often susceptible.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 200
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287
      • Johns Hopkins University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 3 years to 14 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children between the ages of 6 months and 18 years of age (inclusive)
• Suspected purulent staphylococcal skin or soft tissue infection
• No hospitalization within the previous 14 days
• Must have reliable means of follow-up contact (e.g. working phone)
• Outpatient management in the judgement of treating physician

Exclusion Criteria:

• Hospitalization on initial visit
• Voluntary withdrawal by the treating physician in order to dictate the antibiotic being used
• Patients with a history of hypersensitivity to or intolerance of cephalexin (or other beta lactams) or clindamycin.
• Patients with altered immunity (inherited or acquired)
• Patients with skin infections related to surgical wounds or hardware.
• Patients currently on antibiotic therapy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: cephalexin	Drug: cephalexin; cephalexin suspension or tablets, 40mg/kg/day, given by mouth, divided TID, for 7 days; Other Names: keflex
Active Comparator: clindamycin	Drug: clindamycin; clindamycin suspension or tablets, 20mg/kg/day, given by mouth, divided TID, for 7 days

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Clinical Improvement at the 48-72 Hour Clinical Follow-up	Clinical improvement was defined as improvement in at least one of the following four measures without regression in any: (1) erythema (2) pain (3) induration (4) patient or families self report of improvement.	48-72 hour clinical follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Aaron Chen
• Collaborators: Johns Hopkins University; Thrasher Research Fund
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Aaron E Chen, MD, Johns Hopkins University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2006
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2009
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 13, 2006
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 13, 2006
• First Posted (Estimate): July 14, 2006

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): May 13, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 1, 2013
• Last Verified: April 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: clinical trial; randomized; blinded; controlled
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Skin Diseases; Inflammation; Disease Attributes; Connective Tissue Diseases; Bacterial Infections; Bacterial Infections and Mycoses; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections; Suppuration; Skin Diseases, Bacterial; Hair Diseases; Infections; Communicable Diseases; Cellulitis; Skin Diseases, Infectious; Staphylococcal Skin Infections; Staphylococcal Infections; Folliculitis; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Anti-Infective Agents; Enzyme Inhibitors; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; Clindamycin; Clindamycin palmitate; Clindamycin phosphate; Cephalexin
• Other Study ID Numbers: NA_00003301