IN VITRO ACTION OF SULFONAMIDES ON CLOSTRIDIA SULFONAMIDE INHIBITORS1

Local sulfonamide therapy has been shown to be markedly successful in gas gangrene wounds in experimental animals and man (see Reed and Orr, 1941, 1942; Bliss, Long and Smith, 1942). The only evidence of in vitro bacterio-static action of sulfonamides against the gas gangrene clostridia is an early report by Spray (1937). Spray found the growth of Clostridium tetani, C. novyi and C. septicum to be inhibited by sulfanilamide and disulfonamide in low concentrations but C. welchii, C. tertium, C. sporogenes and C. histolyticum to be inhibited only by high concentrations of disulfonamide. This work might be criticised on the ground that the medium used was likely to be rich in sulfon-amide-inhibitor substances and that the inoculum used was very large. On the other hand Broh-Kahn (1939) and Fox (1940) raise some doubt as to the bacteriostatic action of sulfonamides under anaerobic conditions and Warren, Street and Stokinger (1939) question Spray's results on these grounds. Clifton and Loewinger (1943), however, have shown that anaerobic growth of Esch-erichia coli is inhibited by sulfanilamide