THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF DOXYCYCLINE UPON SCARLET FEVER

Abstract

The sensitivity of hemolytic streptococci to doxycycline (DOTC) was tested with a result as shown in Table 1, indicating that they were not so sensitive to the antibiotic. Unexpectedly, however, when the antibiotic was administered orally to patients carrying hemolytic streptococci in their pharynges, the positive culture turned into negative as early as 6 to 10 hours after the administration, provided that the cocci were sensitive to tetracycline (TC).
Then, oral application of DOTC was attempted in a daily single dose of 100 m g for 5 days to patients (children) with scarlet fever at acute phase. It was found that the therapeutic effect of DOTC upon scarlet fever depended upon whether the cocci carried by the patient were sensitive or resistant to TC. Although DOTC should not be administered without selection to all patients with scarlet fever in view of the fact that the TC resistant hemolytic streptococci constitute more than 30% of recent isolates from patients in Japan, it should be noted that the antibiotic exerts marked effects on patients infected with sensitive cocci and that the return of positive culture and febrile recurrence were rarely encountered. In addition, oral daily administration of DOTC only in a small single dose provides much convenience for its use.