EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF STREPTOMYCIN IN THE TUBERCULOUS FOCI OF BONE AND JOINT

Abstract

To explain the low concentration of streptomycin in the foci of bone and joint tuberculosis examined by the vertical diffusion method, above all in the dead tissues, the author did an experiment in vitro. The experiment was carried out with cold pus and pus serum each of which streptomycin was added to. The effect of the caseous mass contained in the cold pus upon streptomycin was examined using the pus serum as a control. The results of this experiment show that the streptomycin is neither destroyed nor adsorbed by the caseous mass, while the penetration ability of the drug into caseous mass is very poor. Accordingly, the accuracy of the vertical diffusion method for the assay of streptomycin concentration in the dead tissue of the tuberculous foci of bone and joint is supported by this experiment.