[Chemotherapy of microbial diseases of the respiratory tract]

It is given a survey on the chemotherapy of the microbial diseases of the respiration tract. A chemotherapy is taken into consideration only for such cases in which a bacterial etiology is ascertained or is assumed with a great probability. The antimicrobial chemotherapy is of particular importance for the acute and chronic bronchitis, bronchiectases, pneumonias, pulmonary abscess and empyema of the pleura. The author deals with the special problems of bacteriological findings of the respiratory tract. The choice of the chemotherapeutic remedy is done in most cases according to the empirical points of view, in which cases development of resistance, side-effects and changing of the infection must be taken into consideration. Apart from the otherwise usual oral and parenteral application special forms of application, such as aerosol therapy and intrapleural instillation are used. It is referred to atypical pneumonias, such as the mycoplasma pneumonia which gives a good response to tetracyclines. Apart from the sulphonamides and trimethoprim penicillins, chloramphenicol, tetracyclines, cephalosporines, more rarely streptomycin and linkomycin are the most important antimicrobiotics.