Flucloxacillin treatment of methicillin-‘resistant’ and sensitive staphylococcal infection

In controlled trials significantly more burns (6/10, 60%) were cleared of methicillinresistant Staph. aureus by 4 days’ treatment with oral flucloxacillin (500 mg 6 hourly) than in control patients receiving no specific chemotherapy (0/12). This effect was almost as good as that obtained against methicillin-sensitive Staph. aureus (13/19, 68% clearance), and better than that previously obtained against methicillin-‘resistant’ staphylococci by a dosage of flucloxacillin 250 mg 6 hourly for 4 days. Sensitivity tests by a diffusion method with flucloxacillin at 37°C and at 30°C were found to give a good indication of the clinically relevant sensitivity; replicate testing by the tube dilution method gave variable results with methicillin-’resistant’ staphylococci, but replicate diffusion tests were consistent.