CHLORAMPHENICOL AND OTHER ANTIBIOTICS IN THE TREATMENT OF TYPHOID FEVER AND TYPHOID CARRIERS

Abstract

Experience of the U. S. Army Research Group in the use of chloramphenicol in the treatment of their first 24 patients with typhoid fever is summarized. The avg. duration of fever, after chloramphenicol therapy was instituted, was 3 and a fraction days. There were no fatalities but 2 patients suffered intestinal hemorrhage, 1 had intestinal perforation and 4 had clinical relapses. The patient with perforation recovered promptly on antibiotic therapy without surgical intervention. Relapses developed only in the patients who were treated for a relatively short period, and were readily controlled by a 2d course of therapy. Chloramphenicol suppresses the infection and recovery results from the immune response of the host. Chloramphenicol was of no value in eradicating the carrier state in 4 chronic typhoid carriers. The course of typhoid fever in 9 patients who received supportive therapy, 4 who received aureomycin and 5 who received polymyxin, was essentially the same. The results in these groups were markedly different from those in the group treated with chloramphenicol.