*Read in the Section on Surgery, General and Abdominal, American Medical Association, Ninety-Eighth Annual Session, Atlantic City, June 8, 1949. Since this paper was submitted for publication, November, 1949, we have had the opportunity to evaluate “Combiotic” tablets, kindly prepared by Charles Pfizer and Co., Inc., which combine streptomycin sulfate 250 mg., bacitracin 5000 units, and polymyxin 20 mg., in preparation of the bowel for intestinal resection. Eight tablets a day, divided in 4 doses, to 20 patients, effected substantially the same results as obtained with the streptomycin-glucuronolactone combination, that is, maximal suppression was obtained in 36 to 72 hours. Prolonged administration of “Combiotic” tablets did not prevent the emergence of streptomycin-resistant bacteria. No other untoward effects were observed.
Intestinal obstructions, the presence of ulcerated lesions in the bowel, intestinal perforations, and intestinal fistulas, in general, interfere with the removal of susceptible bacteria from the intestinal tract, regardless of the antiseptic, or combinations of antiseptics, used.
