A SIMPLE CLINICAL METHOD FOR THE ASSAY OF PENICILLIN IN BODY FLUIDS

Abstract

Many of the methods for penicillin assay were devised and used primarily for testing solutions during the production of penicillin and are not easily applicable to the determination of titers of body fluids in patients under treatment. These have been reviewed by Foster and Woodruff,¹ the classic test of Florey² being in most common use. Of the studies made on body fluids, the method described by Rammelkamp³ involving the use of serial broth dilutions and a strain of hemolytic streptococcus was used by Rammelkamp and Keefer.⁴ Rosenberg and Sylvester⁵ have used Foster's method⁶ of serial broth dilution with Staphylococcus aureus and turbidimetric measurements, while Romansky and Rittman⁷ have used a method described by Rake and Jones⁸ based on the property of the inhibition of hemolysin production of streptococci by penicillin. The procedure to be described here is believed to be simpler than