The effective period of preventive antibiotic action in experimental incisions and dermal lesions.

There is a definite short period when the developing staphylococcal dermal or incisional infection may be suppressed by antibiotics. This effective period begins the moment bacteria gain access to the tissue is over in 3 hours. Systemic antibiotics have no effect on primary staphylococcal infections if the bacteria creating the infection have been in the tissue longer than 3 hours before the antibiotics are given. Antibiotics cause maximum suppression of infection if given before bacteria gan access to tissue.