The Sensitivity of Two Hundred Strains of Hemolytic Staphylococcus to a Series of Antibiotics

Abstract

Infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, particularly staphylococci, have become a serious problem in hospital practice. Many reports attest to the increase in frequency and mortality rate of clinical infections with this organism during the past decade. This subject has recently been reviewed in detail by Rogers.¹ One consequence of this increase in resistant strains has been the search for additional antimicrobials to combat organisms refractory to agents presently available. A number of new drugs have been recommended for treatment of resistant staphylococcal infections. The determination of the antibiotic sensitivity of this group of organisms has become a mandatory procedure in any serious infection. In a previous report from this laboratory, the sensitivity of 100 strains of pathogenic bacteria to 10 antibiotics was tabulated.² Sixty-eight of the one hundred were staphylococci, and the present report gives a detailed analysis of one hundred additional strains of this organism isolated from severe