STREPTOMYCIN

Abstract

In January 1944 Schatz, Bugie and Waksman¹ suggested that the antibacterial agent streptomycin possessed properties which might be of use in the treatment of diseases caused by a variety of gram-negative and some gram-positive pathogens. Since September 1944 we have subjected streptomycin to rather extensive clinical investigation. Evidence is accumulating as to the effectiveness of streptomycin in the treatment of a limited number of infections and its ineffectiveness in the treatment of many others. Future observations may change some of the present concepts concerning this antibiotic agent; however, sufficient material has been studied to justify certain conclusions at this time. With few exceptions the degree of sensitivity of organisms to streptomycin as determined by in vitro studies can be used as an index of the probable effectiveness of streptomycin in the clinical field. Streptomycin has been found to be active in vitro against a variety of gram-negative and gram-positive