STREPTOMYCIN IN THE TREATMENT OF TYPHOID AND PARA-TYPHOID FEVER

Abstract

Prior to the appearance of chloromycetin as a specific agent for the treatment of typhoid fever, one had centred hope on streptomycine to conquer the disease, because of its wide bacillary spectrum and, especially of the powerful activity on the growth of Eberthella typhosa in vitro. The results of the most reliable record by Keefer and others on 51 cases of typhoid fever were however disappointing, in which cases were treated with a large does of streptomycin. Since then, workers in this field seem to have abandoned to repeat similar experiment. But could streptomycin be really ineffective for the treatment of typhoid fever? Cases, dealt with by the above and other authors^{1, 2, 3)} were relatively advanced in the course of disease, therefore, we believe that the question still remains open to discussions. Argument naturally may exist that streptomycin is no more useful since the appearance of chloromycetin, while even the latter is not omnipotent in every case of typhoid fever as an established fact. It is our duty, we believe, to evaluate the effect of an agent precisely as it is to provide the knowledge in time of need.
The author has had the opportunity from the beginning of 1950, in the year which chloromycetin was not yet available for the general use in our hospital, to treat the patients of typhoid and paratyphoid fever chiefly with streptomycin and has obtained a different results from that by Keefer and others, the record of which is reported in the present paper.