SNAP trial for golden staph treatment

BENDIGO Health is helping improve methods of treating Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections, commonly known as golden staph, through participation in a worldwide trial.

The hospital is one of 110 institutions in eight countries contributing to the investigation, which is being run jointly by the Doherty Institute and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Its ultimate aim is to achieve better outcomes for golden staph patients. Thirty-six participants are from Bendigo.

Bendigo Health infectious diseases physician Andrew Mahony said the trial results would ultimately influence worldwide guidelines on how best to treat infections.

“The trial is really trying to answer some of the key questions about how we treat golden staph,” Dr Mahony said.

“There hasn’t been evidence to this level to support one approach versus a slightly different approach. But this will be the definitive word.”

Dr Mahony said the study was considering matters such as what types of antibiotics were used in which cases, the length of time intravenous treatment took – current practice is two weeks – and more.

“We already knew we were getting about one patient a week with this kind of infection in the hospital, so we thought it was feasible and would be worth contributing,” he said. “We’re seeing these patients anyway as part of our daily practice, so it made sense for us to be involved.”

The Staphylococcus aureus Network Adaptive Platform Trial, or SNAP trial, could run for as long as two more years.

Dr Mahony said participating patients did not have to undergo any extra procedures, it was mainly their regular treatment and outcomes being recorded.

Professor Steven Tong, Royal Melbourne Hospital infectious diseases physician and the trial’s principal investigator, said the trial had been designed so regional hospitals and tertiary referral centres could participate.

“Bendigo has made an outsized contribution to SNAP,” he said.

“Bendigo is a wonderful example of providing an opportunity for patients in regional areas to access clinical trials for common infectious diseases conditions.”