title: Penicillin therapy in icteric leptospirosis.
abstract: A prospective, controlled randomized study of penicillin therapy in icteric human leptospirosis was carried out between 1 October 1983 and 31 December 1986. Thirty-eight patients received intravenous crystalline penicillin for 5 days, while 41 assigned to a control group received intravenous fluids only. A comparison of the results of laboratory tests made on the day of admission revealed no significant differences between the 2 groups. There was no significant difference in time for defervescence, return of biochemical parameters to normal, incidence of iritis, or mortality in the 2 groups. Three patients (7.3%) in the control group and 1 patient (2.6%) in the treatment group died. The overall mortality rate was 5.9%. Leptospira were recovered from urine cultures in 6 control patients but from none of the treated patients' post-treatment cultures. We conclude that penicillin has little effect on clinical outcome in icteric leptospirosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies.
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hassell
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Everard
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Callender
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007500:Iritis / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010406:Penicillins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011897:Random Allocation; D014895:Weil Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D010406:Penicillins