THERAPEUTIC VALUE OF CHLORAMPHENICOL IN A GROUP OF DERMATOSES OF ESTABLISHED OR QUESTIONABLE VIRUS ETIOLOGY

Abstract

THE AVAILABILITY of chloramphenicol (chloromycetin®¹), an agent found effective against certain viruses, suggested its use as a therapeutic agent in the group of dermatoses selected for this study. I have treated 76 patients with the agent up to the time of this report, and the results have been sufficiently interesting that I believe a preliminary report is justified. A group of dermatoses in which there has been an established or questionable virus etiology were included in this study. The erratic response of several of these diseases to all forms of therapy is well known, and they therefore offered an excellent therapeutic test for the use of chloramphenicol. Thirteen cases representing the erythema multiforme group, 7 cases of pemphigus vulgaris, 8 cases of herpes zoster, 5 cases of herpes simplex, 32 cases representing the verruca group, 3 cases of molluscum contagiosum, 3 cases of varicella and 5