STUDIES ON THE CONTROL OF ACUTE INFECTIONS OF THE RESPIRATORY TRACT: IV. CONTINUOUS ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF SULFADIAZINE TO CHILDREN HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO INFECTION

In the course of studies on the oral use of sulfadiazine against bacterial complications of illnesses of the respiratory tract,¹ data were obtained on some of the limitations of continuous administration of sulfonamide compounds.² Although there were no serious toxic effects, prolonged use of the drug led to the dissemination of drug-resistant bacteria³ and had little demonstrable prophylactic value under the conditions prevailing during the study.^2a The negative clinical findings were not unexpected because of the highly selective bacteriostatic action of sulfonamide compounds. In time, additional clinical data on the continuous application of sulfadiazine became available in connection with various phases of the problem. Since all the clinical data obtained were comparable, they have been collected and are presented at this time because of the renewed interest in chemoprophylaxis following numerous reports on its value to persons exposed to infections of the respiratory tract⁴ or