Failure of Chemotherapy to Prevent the Bacterial Complications of Measles

SECONDARY bacterial infection is the commonest complication of measles. The development of potent antibacterial agents has made available a group of drugs that can prevent as well as cure bacterial infection. Since the introduction of the sulfonamides various agents have been used for the prophylaxis of microbial invasion in rubeola. Holbrook1 and Coburn2 reported that sulfadiazine eliminated bacterial complications in this disease. Failure to prevent the development of bronchopneumonia by sulfathiazole was recorded, however, by Gible and Litvak.3 Favorable results were observed by Karelitz and his co-workers4 , 5 after the prophylactic application of procaine penicillin, chlortetracycline (Aureomycin), and benzethacil (Bicillin) in . . .