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Definition of "methicillin" [methicillin]

  • A synthetic antibiotic, C17H19N2O6NaS, related to penicillin and most commonly used in treatment of infections caused by penicillinase-producing staphylococci. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "methicillin" in a sentence
  • "Public health officials have been concerned about superbugs, particularly one type prevalent in hospitals known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, because they can kill patients."
  • "Recently, more attention has been paid to a particular strain of staph called methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA."
  • "But the children had somehow contracted a strain called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which is resistant to many drugs, including those they were given."
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