TOXICITY OF POLYMYXIN B

Abstract

AS THE use of anitbiotics has become more widespread, there has been an - increasing number of strains of bacteria resistant to the most commonly used antimicrobial agents. Among the Gram-positive cocci, the Staphylococcus has shown the most rapid development of resistance. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the Proteus group of Gram-negative bacilli are frequently naturally resistant to most of the antibiotics, and they rapidly acquire resistance to streptomycin. There has also been encountered an increasing number of strains of the coli-aerogenes group resistant to the usual antibiotics. In spite of the reported undesirable side reactions associated with polymyxin therapy, there have now been many clinical reports of patients having been treated successfully with polymyxin when other agents have failed. Its effect has been most striking in infections due to Ps. aeruginosa.¹Polymyxin has also been of value in the treatment of acute and chronic Shigella infection resistant to previous therapy²