In the Institute of General Pathology, from 1946 the direct determination of the resistance of the bacteria in various specimens has been employed as a quick guide in the treatment of various infections with chemotherapeutics.The first report on this measures was given at the Eighth Scandinavian Congress of Pathology in Upsala in July 1947 ( 1 ) .Since then, our technique has been modified so that it will be appropriate to describe the method now employed in the institute.In the first place, a culture medium is used in which peptone has been replaced with yeast extract in order to avoid the inhibitory effect of peptone on the action of the sulfonamides and also to obtain growth of hemophil bacteria.Further, combinations of the various chemotherapeutics have been replaced with terramycin and chloromycetin. As terramycin and aureomycin behave alike also with regard to the development of bacterial resistance, only terramycin is now being used because it is more stabile than aureomycin. Our replies about the result is reported in this way-that the sensitivity of the given bacteria to terramycin applies also to aureomycin so that the physician in charge of the case has free choice between these preparations.Moreover, the amounts of the various therapeutics placed on the filter paper discs have been altered too. By means of standard strains the dose is adjusted so that sensitive strains give a zone of inhibition 2 40 mm., while strains that are 16-32 times more resistant than the standard strain show no inhibition. If a strain is 16-32 times more resistant than the standard strain there is hardly any chance of the substance concerned having a therapeutic effect.Finally, great importance is attached to the inoculation of the
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