The new research will be directed by the LA BioMed, which is a U.S. research institute. The organization has been granted a sum of $5.3 million from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The new study will be called “Short and Long Term Outcomes of Doxycycline Versus Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole for Skin and Soft Tissue Infections Treatment”.
The research is needed due to a rise in skin infections and an increase in skin infections that are connected with antibiotic resistant organisms. In the U.S. it is estimated there are 10 million skin infections per year, with around half that number seeking medical treatment.
The most common types of skin infections are with Staphylococcus aureus. Of concern is the emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus, which is difficult to treat and exhibits resistance to the most common form of antibiotics. This has resulted in an epidemic of skin and soft tissue infections.
This forms part of a wider trend where rate at which bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotic treatments has increased. This increase is challenging the ability of medical staff to carry out routine procedures. Of greatest concern is the rise of multi-drug resistant microorganisms (the so-termed ‘super bugs’).
Commenting on the new research, project leader Dr. Loren Miller said, in a communication provided to Digital Journal: “Skin infections are among the most common infections seen in urgent care, emergency departments and clinics across the world.”
He adds: “But physicians just don’t have a good handle on what are the most effective and safest drugs to treat skin infections. We’re trying to answer that important question and provide evidence that could lead to more effective treatments.”
With the new project, this will take the form of a four-year clinical trial. Here patients will be enrolled at the LA BioMed site in Torrance and at Washington University in St. Louis. In total some 462 patients, identified as suffering from skin infections, will be enrolled. The patients will be assessed by investigators over the course of one year.
The researchers will consider how effective certain antibiotics are for the treatment of infections, how infections recur and how those that do recur can be prevented. It is hoped this process will produce some important data relating to skin disease frequency and the most effective treatments.
