Staphylococcal infections are important causes of morbidity, mortality, and
increased economic costs. Increasing emergence of resistance among staphyl
ococcal strains makes therapy of these infections increasingly difficult. P
enicillin, oxacillin (nafcillin), and glycopeptides are the drugs of choice
for treatment of infections caused by penicillin-susceptible, penicillin-r
esistant and methicillin-resistant staphylococci. Alternative antimicrobial
s, such as cotrimoxazole, lincosamides, macrolides, tetracyclines, and fluo
roquinolones, can be used in selected cases. Newly introduced or experiment
al drugs could be useful for therapy of infections caused by multiresistant
staphylococci.