ANTIBIOTICS AS CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS 281 



TABLE 45. BACTERICIDAL EFFECT OF TYROTHRICIN UPON 

 DIFFERENT BACTERIA 



From Dubos and Cattaneo (208). 



•—no growth on blood agar, + reduced growth, I I I I abundant growth. 



t NR no reduction of methylene blue, PR partial reduction, CR complete reduction. 



§ N no lysis, P partial lysis, C complete lysis. 



negative hemolytic bacilli showed disappearance of these bacteria within 

 2 hours following the administration of tyrothricin. Five days after a 

 single treatment no hemolytic organisms were found in one monkey, 

 and, in the other, only throat cultures were positive. A second applica- 

 tion of the material gave completely negative cultures within 3 hours. 

 No local or general reactions to these treatments were observed. This 

 material was also administered to 5 human carriers of hemolytic strepto- 

 cocci, 2 of whom were persistent nasal carriers for two months following 

 scarlet fever and the other three convalescent in the third week of this 

 disease. In only one case was an immediate reduction in the number of 

 streptococci obtained 5 a striking reduction or complete disappearance of 

 the organisms occurred in the others on the fifth day, after 3 to 4 spray- 

 ings. These observations were said to be sufficiently encouraging to jus- 

 tify the use of the material against carriers harboring streptococci, diph- 

 theria organisms, meningococci, and pneumococci. Injection of 3 to 40 

 mg. t3^rothricin into the pleural cavity of rabbits with hemolytic strepto- 

 coccal empyema brought about the sterilization of the pleural cavity and 



