THE INVESTIGATION reported in this communication is another in our series of clinical trials of various antibiotics in the treatment of β-hemolytic streptococcal disease in children. In this particular study we compared the effectiveness of lincomycin (Lincocin), ampicillin (Polycillin), and potassium penicillin G against these infections.
Beta-hemolytic streptococci have been reported to be susceptible in vitro to both lincomycin1-3 and ampicillin4-7 in serum concentrations readily attained by oral administration. Lincomycin has also been shown to be effective clinically in children against infections caused by this organism.8 The most recent report of its clinical effectiveness is that of Jackson et al.9 However, other than the report of Scarzella10 on the results of a few infections in children, there is no information on the clinical effectiveness of ampicillin against β-hemolytic streptococcal illness.
Methods
The method used was similar to our clinical trials with other antibiotics which we