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Published on: April 18, 2019

The experimental and clinical use of polymyxin, chloromycetin, and aureomycin

P H LONG, E B SCHOENBACH

    California Medicine
    |March 1, 1949
    PubMed

    Insights

    Polymyxin is effective for severe infections but is toxic. Chloromycetin and Aureomycin show broad-spectrum antibiotic activity with minimal systemic toxicity, offering new treatment options.

    Area of Science:

    • Microbiology
    • Pharmacology
    • Infectious Diseases

    Background:

    • Polymyxin exhibits efficacy against specific Gram-negative bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa but is limited by toxicity.
    • Emerging antibiotics, Chloromycetin and Aureomycin, present potential therapeutic alternatives.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity profiles of Polymyxin, Chloromycetin, and Aureomycin.
    • To identify the spectrum of microbial activity for each antibiotic.

    Main Methods:

    • Comparative analysis of antibiotic effectiveness based on clinical and in vitro data.
    • Assessment of reported systemic toxicity associated with each antibiotic agent.

    Main Results:

    • Polymyxin is effective for severe infections but has significant toxicity.
    • Chloromycetin is effective against rickettsial diseases and typhoid fever, with potential against other Gram-negative and viral agents.
    • Aureomycin demonstrates broad-spectrum activity against various bacterial infections, including rickettsial diseases, pneumonia, brucellosis, and urinary tract infections, with no significant systemic toxicity reported.

    Conclusions:

    • Chloromycetin and Aureomycin offer promising therapeutic options with a favorable safety profile compared to Polymyxin.
    • Further research is warranted for Aureomycin in extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
    • These antibiotics represent valuable additions to the antimicrobial armamentarium for specific infectious diseases.
    Keywords:
    AUREOMYCINCHLOROMYCETINPOLYMYXIN

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