Chemotherapeutic studies of mycobacterial infections in mice.

Of six antibiotics investigated, streptovaricin C had the most marked chemotherapeutic effect on Mycobacterium kansasii infections in mice. By the intraperitoneal route this antibiotic caused elimination of the pathogens from all organs. Kanamycin eliminated the pathogens from the lungs of all animals and from the spleens and livers of most of them. Bluensomycin also removed the pathogens from the lungs of all animals, and spectinomycin and lincomycin, from the lungs of the majority of the animals. The three latter antibiotics lowered the bacterial counts in liver and spleen. Streptovaricin C also decreased the bacterial counts in brain, spleen, and liver of mice inoculated intracerebrally with M. kansasii. In one experiment it completely eliminated this pathogen from the spleen and almost completely from the liver. The effect of streptovaricin C on the cerebral infection was more marked than that of streptovaricin complex. Respiratory and cerebral infections of mice with M. avium, serotypes I and II, were limited by streptovaricin C, and marked decreases of the bacterial counts in brain, lungs, spleen, and liver were observed.