ACTION OF SULFONAMIDE COMPOUNDS ON BLASTOMYCES DERMATITIDIS IN VITRO

Abstract

An attempt has been made to test in vitro the efficacy of several drugs of the sulfonamide series against Blastomyces dermatitidis. The drugs used included sulfanilamide, sulfapyridine (2-[paraaminobenzenesulfonamido]-pyridine), sodium sulfapyridine, sulfathiazole (2-[paraaminobenzenesulfonamido] -thiazole), sodium sulfathiazole, sulfadiazine (2-[paraaminobenzenesulfonamido]-pyrimidine) and sulfaguanidine (sulfanilylguanidine). It is known that blastomycosis (Gilchrist's disease) can be treated effectively when involvement is limited to the cutaneous form¹ through the use of desensitization of the patient to the organism followed by administration of potassium iodide and roentgen therapy. Systemic blastomycosis, on the other hand, is not as responsive therapeutically.² It is this fact which prompted the present experiments. MATERIALS AND METHODS Satisfactory experimental use of the sulfonamide compounds is limited to some extent by the fact that some are only slightly soluble.³ Clinically they should be effective with concentrations in the blood of 10 mg. per hundred cubic centimeters or less, since higher concentrations not