Clinical effects of lividomycin on respiratory tract infections, primarily wet cases of bronchiectasis (author's transl)

Abstract

Patients with various respiratory infections, primarily wet cases of bronchiectasis, were treated with lividomycin (LVDM) at a dose of 1 g/day for about a week. The results obtained are as follows: 1. Of the 15 patients with refractory bronchiectasis who had previously been treated with various other antibiotics, 11 patients (73.3%) responded to LVDM. Although there was no patient who responded to LVDM excellently, good cures were achieved in 5 pateints and fair cures in 6 patients. 2. In bronchiectasis patients having infections in association with pulmonary tuberculosis (mixed infections), LVDM did not show any remarkable effects, excepting that fair cures were achieved in 3 patients. 3. In the 7 patients with acute bronchopneumonia, excellent, good and fair cures were achieved in 1, 5 and 1 patient, respectively. Although LVDM was effective in all of the patients with the said infection, the number of the patients responded excellently was meager and the onset of action seemed to be somewhat slow. 4. In one patient with lobar pneumonia, LVDM was not effective. 5. The MIC values of LVDM for clinically isolated various organisms are summarized below: Pseudomonas aeruginosa 50 mcg/ml, Klebsiella pneumoniae 3.13 to 6.25 mcg/ml, Haemophilis influenzae 1.56 to 6.25 mcg/ml, Diplococcus pneumoniae 50 mcg/ml, alpha-Streptococcus 50 to 100 mcg/ml, beta-Streptococcus 100 mcg/ml, and Staphylococcus aureus 1.56 mcg/ml. 6. In spite of the fact that a majority of the patients participated in this study were the aged, LVDM's side effects were limited to an increase of BUN (one patient) and eruption (one patient). Any noticeable changes in hepatic and renal function, hearing acuity, etc. were not observed. As indicated above, LVDM was effective against, respiratory infections as well as infections of the urinary tract on which a considerable number of research has already been reported. Thus, it is considered to be worthwhile to use LVDM for the treatment of respiratory infections.