WHEN the results of a gram stain or culture of material in a serious case of staphylococcal infection become known, and before the susceptibility of the organism has been determined, the physician is faced with a dilemma concerning the choice of therapy. Should the patient be treated with penicillin G (or some other penicillinase-susceptible penicillin) or with one of the penicillinase-resistant, semisynthetic penicillins, such as methicillin or oxacillin? If the infection turns out to be due to a penicillinase-producing staphylococcus, the penicillin G (or the other penicillinase-susceptible ones) would be virtually ineffective whereas, if it were due to a nonpenicillinase . . .
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Sabath et al. (1963) studied this question.