Chemotherapy of chronic infections with mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa in lower airways of patients with cystic fibrosis.

The bacteriological effect of chemotherapy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Ps.ae.) in lungs of 
patients with cystic fibrosis is reviewed. During a 5-year period 49 
children and adults were treated with 190 courses of different antibiotics. 
The mucoid strains of Ps.ae. disappeared in 72.0% of the courses 
in which a combination of tobramycin and carbenicillin was employed. Tobramycin 
given alone had only bacteriological effect in 26.6% of the courses. 
Colimycin alone or in combination with carbenicillin had no effect. In 
18 patients who received subsequent courses of tobramycin and combination of 
tobramycin and carbenicillin a significant difference in favour of the combination 
therapy was found, also in cases with many precipitins against Ps.ae. 
in serum. In 74.5% of the initially successful courses the patients 
were recolonized with Ps.ae. within 1 month. No nephrotoxic or ototoxic 
side effects were demonstrated in spite of the high doses of 
tobramycin (10 mg/kg/24 h) emmployed and the repeated courses. 