Treatment of Staphylococcic Infections With Erythromycin

FROM THE standpoint of antibiotic therapy, infections caused by staphylococci constitute one of the major problems at the present time. In hospitalized patients approximately 70% of staphylococcic infections are caused by penicillin-resistant organisms and 40 to 60% are resistant to chlortetracycline (aureomycin) and oxytetracycline.¹In many instances, the only antibiotics available for treatment are bacitracin and chloramphenicol, both of which must be administered with caution because of possible toxic reactions. In vitro studies indicate that a new antibiotic, erythromycin, should be a highly effective agent for the therapy of staphylococcic infections. To date, only isolated case reports have appeared.²During the past several months we have had the opportunity of observing the effects of erythromycin therapy in 34 patients with infections caused by antibiotic-resistant staphylococci. Results of treatment were uniformly good and will be described in the present report. PLAN OF STUDY Selection of Patients. —Thirty-four patients with