chlortetracycline and Conjunctivitis--Inclusion

A double-blind stratified trial was carried out on 85 patients to assess the efficacy of topical therapy with 1% chlortetracycline eye ointment in comparison with 1% rifampicin eye ointment in the treatment of chlamydial ocular infection of sexually transmitted origin (paratrachoma). Patients included were selected on the basis of positive culture for Chlamydia trachomatis. A 6-week course of treatment with chlortetracycline or rifampicin 3 times daily gave a clinical cure rate of 80% and 75% and a microbiological cure rate of 93% and 86% respectively. In patients who were not cured the intensity of inflammatory responses was considerably reduced.

Topics: Administration, Topical; Adolescent; Adult; Chlamydia Infections; Chlamydia trachomatis; Chlortetracycline; Clinical Trials as Topic; Conjunctivitis, Inclusion; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Keratoconjunctivitis; Male; Middle Aged; Random Allocation; Rifampin; Trachoma

Chlamydia trachomatis were cultured from the conjunctiva of 8 newborn babies and 4 young adults' (age 20-30 years) affected with acute or therapy-resistant chronic conjunctivitis. The newborn had acute purulent conjunctivitis noticed 4 to 12 days after birth. Five of them had been treated with topical chloramphenicol without effect before the diagnosis was made. They responded well to topical tetracycline ointment, but 3 relapsed. Two developed chronic conjunctivitis and respiratory tract infection, one under long time topical chloramphenicol treatment. The adults had a chronic, in 3 unilateral, conjunctivitis with pronounced follicularly (3) or papillary (1) conjunctival hypertrophy. Different degrees of pseudoptosis, micropannus and corneal infiltrates (in 3) were noticed. In the tear fluid, the quantitative pipette method revealed inflammation shown by neutrophilic granulocytes and lymphocytes with an appreciable predominance of the former in the newborn, while less so in the adults. In the newborn the diagnosis was easily made by culture and by demonstrating inclusions bodies in Giemsa-stained conjunctival scrapings. In the adults the methods were less sensitive. A negative response to one culture does not preclude chlamydial infection.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteriological Techniques; Chlamydia trachomatis; Chloramphenicol; Chlortetracycline; Conjunctiva; Conjunctivitis, Inclusion; Erythromycin; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Male; Ophthalmic Solutions; Pregnancy; Tears

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Chlortetracycline; Conjunctivitis, Inclusion; Drug Evaluation; Erythromycin; Humans; Oleandomycin; Sulfanilamides; Tetracycline

Topics: Chlortetracycline; Conjunctivitis, Inclusion; Erythromycin; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases

Topics: Chlortetracycline; Conjunctivitis; Conjunctivitis, Inclusion; Cortisone; Humans; Oxytetracycline; Sulfanilamide; Sulfanilamides; Sulfonamides