In dogs, irrigation of contaminated osseous wounds with bacitracin
eliminated clinical evidence of infection and significantly reduced the
number of positive cultures and pathological evidence of infection when
compared with dogs that received no treatment or irrigation with normal
saline solution. The inocula contained more organisms than are introduced
into a wound during an elective orthopaedic operation. The use of
bacitracin in the prevention of postoperative Staphylococcus aureus
infection of bone in humans may be justified.