Furazolidone in paediatric cholera

Tetracycline continues to be an effective antimicrobial agent in the clinical control of cholera but because of its high cost, relatively short shelf-life and recent reports of increased resistance of vibrios to tetracycline in vitro, alternative antimicrobial agents have been tested. Furazolidone, effective against cholera caused by the El Tor biotype in adults, was found to be as effective as tetracycline in reducing the volume and duration of diarrhoea in children with classical cholera and, given over a period of 7 days, only slightly less effective in reducing duration of vibrio excretion.Therapy with an antimicrobial agent over a period of 7 days was associated with a significantly smaller rise in vibriocidal antibody titre (of no clinical significance) in the youngest age-group studied; this was probably due to a diminished antigenic stimulus from the primary infection. Undernourished children showed a poorer response to anti-microbial therapy.The study indicated that furazolidone is a reasonable alternative to tetracycline in the treatment of cholera.