The Treatment of Dermatomycoses with Orally Administered Griseofulvin

Abstract

The systemic treatment of superficial fungus infections in man at last seems a near reality. Although the polyene antibiotics derived from streptomyces were a significant advance in antifungal chemotherapy against the yeast-like fungi, they failed to influence the common dermatomycoses.¹ Recent studies demonstrating the influence of serum factors in superficial fungous infections illustrated the importance of blood-borne substances in confining cutaneous invasion by dermatophytes.^2,15 Gentles' recent report of the successful oral treatment of Trichophyton and Microsporum infections in guinea pigs with griseofulvin, a product of several penicillia, was a great step forward.⁷ Subsequently, Lauder and O'Sullivan found it effective by mouth in calves with Trichophyton verrucosum infections.¹¹ Our paper is a preliminary report of observations on the effectiveness of oral griseofulvin therapy in man. Griseofulvin is a colorless, neutral, thermostable antibiotic isolated from Penicillium griseofulvin by Oxford, Raistrick, and Simonet,