Why isn t vancomycin more widely used?
The medical community tries to be conservative in its use of vancomycin, reserving it for patients with few other treatment options to stave off the emergence of vancomycin-resistant microorganisms. In recent years, some resistant and intermediate (decreased sensitivity) strains of Staphylococcus aureus (called VISA and VRSA for Vancomycin Intermediate/Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and strains of Enterococcus have emerged.