A MICROBIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF SILVER FUSIDATE, A NOVEL TOPICAL ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT

The silver salt of fusidic acid is a novel antimicrobial agent. Agains t staphylococci, in vitro tests showed silver fusidate was more active than silver sulphadiazine, and the activities of the sodium and the s ilver salts of fusidic acid were correlated. Against streptococci, ent erococci, clostridia, Candida albicans and a range of Gram-negative ba cilli, silver fusidate was of similar activity to silver sulphadiazine . Silver fusidate at 1 g/l was bactericidal against eight strains of s taphylococci, irrespective of their susceptibility to sodium fusidate. Emergence of resistance to silver fusidate was rare.