Clindamycin for colonization and infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Effective antimicrobial therapy for infection or colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is very limited. In some institutions, the majority of strains remain susceptible to clindamycin in vitro. We report five patients with colonization or infection of varying severity caused by MRSA who had the organism successfully eradicated by clindamycin. In one patient who had an MRSA infection that persisted during vancomycin therapy clindamycin therapy was able to finally eradicate the organism. Clindamycin should be seriously considered as alternative therapy for colonization or infection by MRSA.