Treatment of Urinary Tract Infection With Ampicillin

PATIENTS with chronic urinary tract infection present a difficult therapeutic problem. Frequently the infecting microorganisms are susceptible to the action of relatively few of the available antimicrobial agents, and these are often antibiotics with serious side effects. Furthermore, relapse of bacteriuria frequently occurs following discontinuation of antibiotic therapy. Ampicillin (D-α-aminobenzyl penicillin),* a semisynthetic penicillin, has high in vitro activity similar to that of penicillin G against many Gram-positive bacteria. It is also active against certain Gram-negative bacteria including strains ofEscherichia coliandProteus mirabilis.¹⁻³The present study was undertaken to evaluate oral and parenteral preparations of ampicillin in the treatment of urinary tract infection. Materials and Methods A total of 30 patients with urinary tract infection were studied and treated at The New York Hospital from December 1962, to April 1964. Criteria for inclusion in the study were as follows: two or more quantitative urine cultures on different