Penicillin in the treatment of experimental relapsing fever in rats

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Abstract
1. 1. Massive doses of penicillin administered over a short period were ineffective in the prophylactic treatment of Borrelia recurrentis infection in the white rat. 2. 2. Intermittent prophylactic dosage appeared to prevent the development of of disease. 3. 3. Intermittent dosage did not control the developed disease. 4. 4. Persistence of the infection in the central nervous system of a rat was uninfluenced by relatively huge doses of penicillin administered early in the disease. 5. 5. In vitro exposure of the spirochaetes to the action of high concentrations of penicillin did not affect their structure, motility or infectivity. 6. 6. The above conclusions may only be applicable to certain strains of Borrelia, since other workers report success in the treatment of experimental relapsing fever with penicillin.