The comparative efficacy of minocycline and penicillin-V in Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections.

The antistaphylococcal properties of orally administered minocycline and penicillin-V were compared for one hundred and fifteen patients receiving minocycline and one hundred and twenty-eight receiving penicillin-V for various types of cutaneous infections. The majority of bacterial isolates were staphylococcal organisms. Of these 82 percent showed initial in vitro sensitivity to minocycline while only 20 percent did to penicillin-V. The percentage of clinical cures was higher with minocycline (74 percent) than with penicillin-V (54 percent), however, most patients, in both groups, showed clinical improvement. The rate of clinical improvement appeared to be significantly faster with minocycline. There was a higher percentage of adverse, chiefly vestibular, effects in the minocycline group (16 percent vs 7 percent). The study clearly demonstrates the superior antistaphylococcal properties of minocycline as compared with penicillin-V.