True or false: Daptomycin is effective for treating pneumonia.

True or false: Daptomycin is effective for treating pneumonia.

• A. True
• B. False; it is inactivated by pulmonary surfactant and is not used for pneumonia; it is used for bacteremia, endocarditis, and skin/soft tissue infections
• C. Only for viral pneumonia
• D. It is the preferred agent for hospital-acquired pneumonia

Answer: (D)

Daptomycin cannot treat pneumonia because it is inactivated by pulmonary surfactant. This surfactant binds the drug and prevents it from interacting with bacterial membranes in the lungs, so it won’t achieve the necessary bactericidal effect in pneumonia. Daptomycin is a potent Gram-positive agent (active against MRSA and VRE) used for complicated skin and soft tissue infections, bacteremia, and right-sided endocarditis. For pneumonia, especially hospital-acquired pneumonia, other antibiotics with proven lung penetration and activity against the typical Gram-negative pathogens are used.

Daptomycin cannot treat pneumonia because it is inactivated by pulmonary surfactant. This surfactant binds the drug and prevents it from interacting with bacterial membranes in the lungs, so it won’t achieve the necessary bactericidal effect in pneumonia. Daptomycin is a potent Gram-positive agent (active against MRSA and VRE) used for complicated skin and soft tissue infections, bacteremia, and right-sided endocarditis. For pneumonia, especially hospital-acquired pneumonia, other antibiotics with proven lung penetration and activity against the typical Gram-negative pathogens are used.