Effect of Oral Streptomycin on the Intestinal Flora

Abstract

Summary

The oral administration of as little as 1.0 g of streptomycin daily eliminated E. coli from the stool of 5 patients within 2 days. The stool could be kept free of these microorganisms as long as adequate streptomycin levels were maintained, but reappeared promptly when it was discontinued. Swabs taken at operation from the mucosa of the colons of two patients who had received preoperative streptomycin did not contain E. coli. These microorganisms also were eliminated from the distal segment of a colostomy by streptomycin lavage per rectum. Streptomycin did not affect the anaerobic flora of the stool, and had no appreciable effect on the fecal streptococci