STUDIES ON THE CONCENTRATION AND BACTERIAL EFFECT OF AUREOMYCIN IN DIFFERENT PORTIONS OF THE INTESTINAL TRACT

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Material from various portions of the intestine was examined following the admn. of therapeutic amts. of aureomycin. Patients having a cecostomy, transverse colostomy or sigmoid colostomy were investigated. Also, the stools of patients having no apparent gastro-intestinal disease were studied. Each specimen was examined to detn. the concn. of aureomycin and its effect on 8 common pathogenic organisms: Escherichia coli Streptococcus anaerobius, Bacteroides organisms. Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus viridans, S. faecalis, Clostridium perfringens, and Aerobacter aerogenes. The assay method employed acid acetone for extraction of intestinal or fecal material. With 2-3 g. of oral aureomycin daily, intestinal concns. reaching 51,200-128,000 [mu]g./g. of wet material were rapidly obtained. After discontinuing medication significant concns. persisted for 2-3 days. These results suggest that this antibiotic exerts its therapeutic effect in human amebiasis primarily by a direct action on amebae. Diarrhea causes a significant reduction in the intestinal and fecal concn. of aureomycin. Streptococcus faecalis alone was not uniformly responsive to the antibiotic; though when 3 g. of aureomycin were admd. daily, this organism was markedly reduced in more than half of the cases revealing its presence.