Treatment of salmonella carriers with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.
One hundred and two patients with salmonellosis were observed, as either acute cases or asymptomatic carriers, over a span of 6 years. Twenty-eight patients were treated with antibiotics only or received no treatment; those in the treated group became negative for the infecting organisms after a mean time of 160 days, as compared with a mean of 52.4 days for those who were not treated. Seventy-four other patients were treated with frimthoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) as the sole medication or after prior antibiotic therapy. Sixty of these patients (81.1%) were free from Salmonella in the mean time of 19.2 days, whereas 14 failed to respond and the condition cleared spontaneously in a mean time of 134.9 days. The poor response to treatment with TMP-SMX by children 2 years of age and younger is noted. The beneficial effects of treatment with TMP-SMX, as compared with antibiotics or no treatment at all, are examined in the light of the need to protect the public from this potentially dangerous infection.
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000667:Ampicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002353:Carrier State / Q000188:drug therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002701:Chloramphenicol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D012475:Salmonella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014295:Trimethoprim / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D004338:Drug Combinations; D002701:Chloramphenicol; D000667:Ampicillin; D014295:Trimethoprim; D013752:Tetracycline; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole