Treatment of Biliary Infections with Ampicillin.

EXPERIMENTAL evaluation of ampicillin has proved that in animals this drug behaves like penicillin G in being rapidly excreted in high concentrations in the bile after oral, intramuscular and intravenous administration (Table I). The ratio of bile to blood (or serum) concentration varies with the species of animal, route of administration, dose, time and technique of sampling. However these results, and the few observations in man, suggest that the administration of ampicillin to patients with inflammatory diseases of the biliary tract and gallbladder should result in biliary levels above the M.I.C. for micro-organisms likely to cause infections of this system (e.g. streptococci, Strept. fecalis, Esch. coli, various salmonelle, etc.). Since the organism responsilble for biliary infection is frequently not isolated, tests to determine the M.I.C. may not be available. Therefore the results of treating biliary infection with ampicillin were judged by clinical observations and indirect laboratory data.