Figure 5

Simulation of a bacteriostatic ( V = 0.005 = γ _B ) and a bacteriocide ( V = 0.007 > γ _B ) treatment for S. Aureus at different dosage times (200, 400 and 600 days). Dots on the plots mark the points when treatment is given. As regards the bacteriostatic drug, the bone density is not subject to critical drops if the treatment is administered at t = 200 days; in the other cases, the normal remodelling activity cannot be re-established, even if the bone loss is less critical w.r.t. the untreated infection. On the other hand, the bacteriocide treatment looks more effective than the bacteriostatic one, although recovering the normal density becomes much more difficult if the drug is administered later than t = 400 days.