AUREOMYCIN IN THE TREATMENT OF BACTERIAL ENDOCARDITIS

Abstract

BACTERIAL endocarditis has been and continues to be a disease with a high fatality rate, even though 60 to 70 per cent of the patients recover with penicillin therapy. Since many of the fatalities result from infection with organisms that are relatively resistant to penicillin, some lives can be saved by the use of other antibacterial agents. Moreover, the occasional occurrence of serious reactions to penicillin necessitates the use of another antibiotic in some instances. Although streptomycin has been employed successfully in several of these cases, it is quite toxic when used in large doses for long periods. For these reasons, we have been interested in investigating the usefulness of aureomycin in endocarditis, and especially in determining whether it can be employed in cases in which penicillin therapy, for one reason or another, is not successful. Furthermore, if aureomycin is suitable for the treatment of patients with endocarditis, the oral