COMBINED ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY IN REFRACTORY URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS

Abstract

Comprehensive in vitro studies by one of us (G. M. E.)¹ on the inhibition of various bacteria by antibiotic combinations indicated that a combination of aureomycin, oxytetracycline (Terramycin), and chloramphenicol possessed antibacterial properties that were not evident when these antibiotics were tested singly in equal concentrations against the same organisms. The present study, part of a more extensive project to be reported later, was undertaken to test this combination clinically. In this report, major emphasis will be placed on our experiences in the treatment of selected patients with refractory urinary tract infections. In addition, attention will be directed to the significance of certain factors, which became manifest only after the study had progressed for a time and which we now believe are fundamental to proper clinical evaluation of any antibacterial agent intended for use in this type of infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS The antibiotic combination, hereafter referred to as