The antistaphylococcal activity of ceftobiprole was compared with those of cefuroxime, linezolid, and moxifloxacin by using the agar dilution method. Apart from three strains with small-colony variant phenotypes, all Staphylococcus aureus isolates tested were inhibited by <= 2 mu g/ml of ceftobiprole. This compound exhibited an excellent antistaphylococcal activity, comparable to that of linezolid.