A method for determining the activities of antimicrobial agents against Chlamydia trachomatis was evaluated, because a standard method of this field has not been yet obtaine.
The D/UW-3/Cx strain, one of the prototype strains of C. trachomatis was inoculated onto HeLa 229 cells and was cultured in 24-well dish at 37°C for 48 hours. The culture medium was MEM with 10% of fetal bovine serum and contained various concentrations of antimicrobial agents immediately after inoculation of C. trachomatis. The inclusion bodies were detected by the method of direct immunofluorescence staining, using FITC-labelled anti-C. trachomatis monoclonal antibody and were confirmed by electron microscopy in some cases. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was defined as the lowest concentration of antimicrobial agent preventing the appearance of any inclusion bodies of C. trachomatis.
An optimum inoculum of C. trachomatis was 5-10³ inclusion forming units per well, because a larger dose of inoculum tended to see aggregation of the organisms, and a smaller dose resulted in a difficulty of observation.
The MICs of tetracycline, minocycline and erythromycin against D/UW-3/Cx strain of C. trachomatis were 0.01, 0.02 and 0.08μg/ml, respectively. The MIC of ofloxacin, a new pyridone carboxylic acid, was 0.64μg/ml.
In conclusion, this method was useful for evaluating the susceptibility of C. trachomatis to antimicrobial agents.

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Effects of griseofluvin (GRF) on fungal growth was examined. The content of GRF which inhibits 50% of mycelial growth of an ascomycetes fungus, Cochliobolus miyabe. anus (ATCC-38724), was 1.5μg/ml. Cell wall constituents of mycelia of this fungus growth in the presence of GRF at ED₅₀ concentration were examined. No changes in the β-glucan synthesis were found while the frequency of branched chain linkages of Nacetylgalactosamine in the chitin-like substance was reducedto half compared to the normal mycelia.Effects of GRF on the activities of intracellular β-glucanase and Nacetylglucosaminidase were examined.β-Glucanase activity was repressed by GRF while N-acetylglucosaminidase activity was not.Conuersion of N-acetylglucosamine to N-acetylgalactosamine, on the other hand, was found to be repressed by GRF. It was assumed from the results of this study that GRF could produce morphologically abnormal mycelia by changing the cell wall structure to a slight degree.

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The influence of antibiotics on antibody production in the spleen was evaluated in mice immunized with sheep red blood cells.
In penicillins, enhancing effect on antibody production was observed, when 20 mg/mouse of ticarcillin was given in the immunized mice and considered due to the activity of thiophen radical of the antibiotic.
Ticarcillin did not act to B cells directly., a marked decrease in antibody producing cells was observed when cefsulodin was injected, effect of side structure of cephem antibiotic including cefsulodin on the antibody production of mouse spleen was investigated. It was suggested that the side structure of those antibiotics played an important role for the antibody production.

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Determination of aminoglycoside antibiolics (AGs) in urine was investigated. Though AGs concentration in urine is usually determined by bioassay or HPLC, immunoassay is considered to be the best method due to its rapidity and convenience. Since determination of AGs in urine by immunoassay has not been investigated enough, we tried to determine gentamicin (GM), a kind of AGs, in urine by fluorescence polarization immunoassay (TDX) ^®. In consequence, while keeping its accuracy, we could determine GM in urine by the usual TDX method when the samples were diluted in the range of determination.
We determined GM in 41 urine samples of 11 patients (infants) by TDX, HPLC and bioassay. Assay data by TDX agreed closely with those by HPLC and bioassay, and practical use of this method was confirmed.
As it has become possible to determine urine concentration by T., it is easy to use urine concentration as a parameter in pharmacokinetics. This data can be utilizedas useful information for administration protocol.

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A double blind study was performed on cefuroxime axetil (CXM-AX), a new oral cephem, for objective evaluation of its clinical efficacy, safety and usefulness in superficial suppurative skin and soft tissue infections, using cefaclor (CCL) as the comparator. In both CXM-AX and CCL group, the daily dose was 750 mg and the drug was administered consecutively for 10 days in Group I, II, III and IV and for 14 days in Group V and VI.
A total of 248 patients (CXM-AX: 121, CCL: 127) were treated, among whom 228 (CXM-AX: 115, CCL: 113) were analysed for overall clinical efficacy and general usefulness, and 235 (CXM-AX: 117, CCL: 118), for overall safety. The following results were obtained.
1. In the evaluation of overall clinical efficacy, the efficacy rate (‘Cured., ’‘Remarkably improved’ and ‘Improved’) was 84.3%(97/115) in CXM-AX group and 85.0%(96/113) in CCL group, with no significant difference between the two drugs. Also in clinical efficacy evaluated for each diagnosis group, there was no statistically significant difference.
2. Bacteriologically, the eradication rate was 86.7%(65/75) in CXM-AX group and 87.0%(60/69) in CCL group, there being no significant difference.
3. Adverse events were observed in 10 out of 117 cases (8.5%) in CXM-AX group, and in 5 out of 118 cases (4.2%) in CCL group. Abnormal laboratory findings were noted in 5 out of 79 cases (6.3%) in CXM-AX group, and in 4 out of 67 cases (6.0%) in CCL group. There was no significant difference. The overall safety rates (‘Safe’ and ‘Nearly safe’) based on clinical adverse events and abnormal laboratory findings were 94.9%(111/117) and 96.6%(114/118) in CXM-AX group and CCL group, respectively, vvithout significant difference.
4. When general usefulness was assessed based on overall clinical efficacy and safety, the usefulness rates (‘Remarkably useful’ and ‘Useful’) were 76.5%(88/115) and 77.9%(88/113) in CXM-AX group and CCL group, respectively, and there was no significant difference.
The above results have shown that CXM-AX is a useful drug, like CCL, for the treatment of superficial suppurative skin and soft tissue infections.

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To evaluate objectively the efficacy, safety and usefulness of cefuroxime axetil (CXM-AX), a new oral cephalosporin, in the treatment of acute uncomplicated cystitis, a comparative double blind trial was performed using cefaclor (CCL) as the control drug. In both groups, the drug was administered after meals for seven days in the dose of 250 mg tid. and clinical efficacy was assessed on the 3 rd day (the 1 st assessment) and 7 th day (the 2 nd assessment) of dosing. Further, in the patients who showed excellent response at the 2 nd assessment, recurrence was examined on the 14 th day (the 3 rd assessment) and on around the 21 st day (the 4 th assessment) following the subsequent 7-day placebo treatment.
L A total of 330 patients (CXM-AX 166, CCL 164) were treated, among whom clinical efficacy was evaluable in 235 patients (CXM-AX: 119, CCL: 116) at the 1 st assessment, and in 185 patients (CXM-AX: 98, CCL: 87) at the 2 nd assessment.
2. In the evaluation of overall clinical efficacy by the committee, the efficacy rates (‘excellent’ and ‘good’) in CXM-AX group and CCL group were 95.8% and 97.4%, respectively at the 1 st assessment and 98.0%and100%, respectively at the 2 nd assessment. The figures were very high in both groups and there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. In the 1 st and 2 nd assessments on effects of drugs on pain on micturition, pyuria and bacteriuria and on bacteriological response, no significant difference was observed between the two treatments.
3. In the 1 st and 2 nd assessments on clinical efficacy by doctors in charge, the efficacy rates of 95% or higher were achieved in both groups, with no significant difference between the two drugs. However, the rate of ‘excellent’ cases in CCL group (71. 6%) was significantly higher than that in CXM-AX group (58.0%) in the 1 st assessment (P<0.05).
4. Recurrence was examined in 77 cases (CXM-AX: 40, CCL: 37) at the 3 rd assessment, and in 26 cases (CXM-AX: 14, CCL 12) at the 4 th assessment. In either of the assessments, there was no significant difference in recurrence rates between these groups.
5. Side effects were observed in 6 cases (4.0%) in CXM-AX group, and in 4 cases (2.5%) in CCL group. Abnormal laboratory findings were noted in 2 cases (2.9%) in CXM-AX group. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.
6. In the usefulness evaluated by doctors in charge at the 1 st and 2 nd assessments, no significant difference was observed between the two treatments.

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