Abstract
In the immunosuppressed host the mortality rate for PCP is approximately 100% if untreated. Pentamidine isethionate is presently considered the drug of choice for therapy but has several disadvantages. The cortisone-treated rat provides an excellent model for the study of PCP. Three drugs, not previously investigated for effectiveness against P. carinii but with possible antiprotozoan activity, were studied. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 11 groups with 15 rats per group. Drugs were administered prophylactically at the initiation of immunosuppression with cortisone acetate. To evaluate therapeutic efficacy, drugs were administered after the first animal in each group had died with PCP. Lung sections taken after spontaneous death or sacrifice were examined histologically with the methenamine silver nitrate impregnation method. Whereas, all of the 15 untreated rats died with PCP, none of the 15 given trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TS) prophylactically acquired the infection. After PCP was established, 9 of 14 rats recovered after treatment with TS compared to only 2 of 14 treated with pentamidine. Rifampin and clindamycin, separately, or in combination with pentamidine, were ineffective in the prevention and treatment of PCP. Since the animal studies clearly demonstrated that TS was effective in the prevention and treatment of PCP, we have treated to date 1 child with PCP and acute leukemia. Prompt and uncomplicated recovery followed the administration of TS orally.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
