| Clinical Use | Kanamycin Sulfate was isolated in 1957 by Umezawaand coworkers from Streptomyces kanamyceticus. Its activityagainst mycobacteria and many intestinal bacteria, aswell as several pathogens that show resistance to other antibiotics,brought a great deal of attention to this antibiotic.As a result, kanamycin was tested and released for medicaluse in a very short time.
The use of kanamycin in the United States usually is restrictedto infections of the intestinal tract (e.g., bacillarydysentery) and to systemic infections arising from Gramnegativebacilli (e.g., Klebsiella, Proteus, Enterobacter, andSerratia spp.) that have developed resistance to other antibiotics.It has also been recommended for preoperative antisepsisof the bowel. It is absorbed poorly from the intestinaltract; consequently, systemic infections must be treated byintramuscular or (for serious infections) intravenous injections.These injections are rather painful, and the concomitantuse of a local anesthetic is indicated. The use ofkanamycin in the treatment of TB has not been widely advocatedsince the discovery that mycobacteria develop resistancevery rapidly. In fact, both clinical experience andexperimental work indicate that kanamycin developscross-resistance in the tubercle bacilli with dihydrostreptomycin,viomycin, and other antitubercular drugs. Like streptomycin,kanamycin may cause decreased or complete lossof hearing. On development of such symptoms, its useshould be stopped immediately. |
China
