16
Treatment of Strangles with Sulphanilamide
and, as there are indications that the
purified reagent is both stable and an
intensely active bacteriostatic, its use in
practice may well become more general.
At the same time, success is being achieved
in the preparation of other antibac-
terial products from cultures of various
bacteria belonging to the Bacillus and
Actinomyces groups.
As mentioned above, the sulphonamide
drugs have a bacteriostatic effect and it
remains for the body cells to complete the
process of destroying the invading orga-
nisms. If the efficiency of the body cells
in this respect can be augmented, the
therapeutic results should be improved.
Loewenthal [1939] has shown that in strep-
tococcus infections in mice a combination
of specific immune serum and sulphanila-
mide is far more effective than either rea-
gent alone. Now that Bazeley [1940-2,
1942] has shown that a vaccine of some
efficiency can be prepared from Str.equi,
there is a possibility of increasing the
resistance of horses exposed to strangles
and the opportunities for chemotherapy
may be correspondingly enhanced.
One last point that may again be
emphasized is the importance of strict
rest for strangles cases, both during the
attack and during convalescence.
SUMMARY
Sulphanilamide is of some value in the
treatment of equine strangles. As would
be expected from the nature of the disease,
the results are not apparent in all
cases. The beneficial effects
consist
mainly in a reduction of fever and pro-
bably to some extent in the localiza-
tion of abscesses.
While the question of adequate dosage
and duration of treatment is always im-
portant, sound clinical judgement is re-
quired in using the sulphonamides. Thus,
in outbreaks of strangles, sulphanilamide
might be used on animals in which the
disease is not running the normally mild
course. It would probably be still more
profitable to use the drug on very early
cases when fever is a pronounced symp-
tom. There is need for further properly
controlled enquiry on cases selected as
falling within these two categories.
The possibility of combining sulphani
lamide treatment with improved methods
of vaccination is a matter for the
future.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Acknowledgement is due to Majors W. E
Barry, L. W. Coulden and to Captain G. V
Short, R. A. V. C., for providing data and to
Mr M. Sarwar, L.V.P., for preparing the figures
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