Treatment of the Typhoid Carrier State with Chloramphenicol *

The efficacy of chloramphenicol: in the treatment of acute typhoid fever is well established.84' 9 l0'1 18 However, treatment of the typhoid carrier state with this antibiotic, for varying periods of time and at dosage levels generally accepted as high, has been unsatisfactory.2 Untoward reactions have also been reported,' 2,6 of which anorexia, nausea, and a bitter taste in the mouth were the most frequent manifestations, although occasionally glossitis and cheilosis occurred in persons under prolonged treatment with large doses of the antibiotic. This communication presents the results of a quantitative study of the carrier state and the influence of chloramphenicol upon it in two chronic typhoid carriers. In addition, a description of the development and treatment of untoward oral manifestations similar to those previously described is included. Both subjects of this investigation had a history of acute typhoid fever (patient E. G., 24 years before, and patient R. L., 48 years before this study) and both had been known typhoid carriers for eight years. The following are pertinent data concerning these patients: