Tetracycline in the Treatment of Severe Cholera Due to Vibrio cholerae O139 Bengal

Vibrio cholerae O139 synonym Bengal, recognized in 1993, is the second member in the list of about 200 serogroups of V. cholerae with epidemic and pandemic potential. Although replacement of fluids and electrolytes remains the cornerstone in the management of cholera, antimicrobial therapy can signi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health, population and nutrition population and nutrition, 2002-03, Vol.20 (1), p.18-25
Main Authors: Hossain, M. Shahadat, Salam, M.A., Rabbani, G.H., Kabir, I., Biswas, R., Mahalanabis, D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use
Antibiotics
Antimicrobials
Cholera
Cholera - drug therapy
Clinical trials
Cultural groups
Dehydration - therapy
Diarrhea
Diarrhea - drug therapy
Double-Blind Method
Drug therapy
Epidemics
Epidemiology
Excretion
Fluid Therapy
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Oral rehydration
Placebos
Public health
Tetracycline - therapeutic use
Time Factors
Vibrio cholerae
Vibrio cholerae - pathogenicity
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Summary:Vibrio cholerae O139 synonym Bengal, recognized in 1993, is the second member in the list of about 200 serogroups of V. cholerae with epidemic and pandemic potential. Although replacement of fluids and electrolytes remains the cornerstone in the management of cholera, antimicrobial therapy can significantly shorten the duration of diarrhoea, and reduce stool volume and requirements of rehydration fluids. The role of antimicrobial therapy on the natural course of the disease caused by this relatively new pathogen has not been systematically assessed. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of tetracycline in the treatment of adults with severe cholera due to V. cholerae O139 Bengal. Forty-three adult males with severe cholera were randomly allocated to receive either 500 mg of tetracycline (n=21) or placebo (n=22) for three consecutive days. Demographic and clinical characteristics of these patients on admission were comparable. Tetracycline therapy was associated with significantly reduced total median (inter-quartile range) stool volume [216.48 (90.18-325.22) mL/kg vs 334.25 (215.12-537.64) mL/kg; p=0.001], higher rates of clinical cure (81% vs 27%; p
ISSN:1606-0997
2072-1315