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REPORT OF A CASE OF ACUTE RENAL FAILURE AND DEATH

Gabriel Genkins, M.D.; Jonathan W. Uhr, M.D.; Morton S. Bryer, M.D.

J Am Med Assoc. 1954;155(10):894-897.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Bacitracin, a polypeptide produced by Bacillus subtilis, was discovered in 1945 by Johnson, Anker, and Meleney.¹ The early enthusiasm that followed the demonstration of its potent antibacterial action was soon dampened by reports of the nephrotoxic action of this and related polypeptide antibiotics² both in experimental animals and in man.³

In nearly every reported case, clinicians observed transient urinary abnormalities when bacitracin therapy was extended over a few days. The resulting proteinuria, cylindruria, azotemia, and occasional oliguria usually were self-limited, but at times necessitated termination of therapy. A review of the literature fails to reveal any fatality attributed to this antibiotic, so that the description of the renal lesion in a human being is lacking.

The following case report is that of a patient with acute bacterial endocarditis. Renal failure unrelated to her primary disease developed in this woman after the institution of bacitracin therapy.

REPORT OF . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
New York

From the departments of pathology, medicine, and microbiology, Mt. Sinai Hospital.

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