Evaluation of new anti-infective drugs for the treatment of chronic carriage of Salmonella. Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Food and Drug Administration.

The chronic carriage of salmonellae is defined as the shedding of a Salmonella species for > or = 1 year, as documented by an initial positive culture of a stool sample obtained at least 1 month after resolution of the acute illness and repeated positive cultures for at least 1 year. Clinical trials of investigational anti-infective drugs for the treatment of the salmonella carrier state may be conducted with a placebo control or an active concurrent control. A crossover design also may be employed for establishing efficacy. Patients should generally receive therapy for at least 6 weeks. Outcome will be assessed only by microbiological criteria. Determination of the interval required for the suppression of salmonellae and follow-up for 6 months after completion of therapy are recommended.