THE SULFONAMIDE THERAPY OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL SEPTICEMIA

Abstract

62 patients with staphylococcal septicemia, referred for possible serum therapy, had previously been under sulfonamide treatment. Of these, 18 were given sulfanilamide, 12 sulfapyridine, 2 sulfamethylthiazole, 20 sulfathiazole, and 10, combinations of the different compounds. In all these patients, the drugs failed to suppress the infection. Of the 62 patients, however, 20 survived, presumably because of other treatment. If this number be disallowed, as discussed in the paper, the mortality rate is still 67% or approx. the usual avg. in such infections. However, successfully treated patients were not referred to the writers, so that this report makes no pretense at sta- tiatical validity. Under special conditions which are enumerated, it may be that the sulfonamides have a certain value in staphylococcal septicemia, but such examples are probably in the minority. In support of the above opinion is the in vitro observation that Na sulfathiazole in cones, as high as 30%, which is effective in sterilizing completely heavy growths of Escherichia coli in < 15 mins., has little if any restraining influence on different strains of Staphylo-coccus, even after 1-hr. exposure.