| Abstract: | After extensive trials of the antibiotic, streptomycin, in the treatment
of various forms of tuberculosis inihuman patients, most clinicians have
come to consider this-new antibiotic as the best available. However,
the therapeutic potentialitie.s of this agent are greatly limited and its
us''e is-sometimes discarded, because of the relatively short duration of
its antibacterial action, and the ease in the development of resistance.
The latter is considered undesirable because in the first place,
organisms re8istant to streptomycin in vitro have been proven to be also
resistant to the action of streptomycin in vivo, and when still virulont,
will render further treatment ineffective (1). It must be mentioned that
by the term resistance, there may be only as little as ,O.1U/o of the
organisms in the culture which is actually not susceptible to the anti-
''oacterial action of a certain dose of streptomycin, usually.placed at 10
gm. per ml. (2). In the second place, the dissemination of resistant
organism is a public hazard because there will be lack of response of
11atients infected with these resistant organisms to streptomycin. |
