Our study has limitations. First, we excluded
patients with serious coexisting conditions, and
the outcomes of skin infections treated with
clindamycin and TMP-SMX in populations with
such conditions may differ. However, our investigation
involved outpatients, the population in
which approximately 95% of skin infections are
treated,28 and thus is generalizable to a large
population. Second, we examined only two antibiotics,
and the comparative efficacy and sideeffect
profile of other oral medications are unclear.