GERBER J, BOLLINGER C, NAU R; Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (41st : 2001 : Chicago, Ill.).

Abstr Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2001 Dec 16-19; 41: abstract no. B-1858.

Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany

BACKGROUND: Oxidative and inflammatory mechanisms and direct toxicity of bacterial components are considered the cause of neuronal damage in bacterial meningitis. In a mouse model of pneumococcal meningitis, combination of several therapy strategies (initial treatment with the non-bacteriolytic rifampin, monoclonal antibodies against the CD18 epitope [CD18mAb] and the free radical scavenger MDL 101,002) on spatial memory and learning deficits, mortality and neuronal damage was investigated. METHODS: 120 C57B16 mice were trained to find a hidden under-water platform within less than 90 s (18 trials over 3 days). Mice were infected by injection of 10[4] CFU of S. pneumoniae into the right forebrain. 30 hours later therapy was initiated with CD18mAb (1mg/kg once) and rifampin (200 mg/kg twice for 1 day) followed by ceftriaxone (CRO) (100 mg/kg twice daily for 4 days). MDL (20 mg/kg) was given four times every 6 hours after start of therapy (n=60). Controls received CRO (100 mg/kg twice daily for 5 days) (n=60). Motor performance was measured by the tight rope test. Beginning 7 days after infection water maze was performed (daily in the first week, then three times per week, after 4 weeks once a week), and mice were killed at day 78. Brain sections were scored for neuronal damage. RESULTS: 25 mice (42%) in the experimental therapy group and 23 (38%) control mice died within the first 6 days. Mice receiving experimental therapy took in median shorter time to reach the platform constantly from day 17 until the end of experiment (difference not significant). Tight rope test showed severe impairment during the acute phase of meningitis (difference not significant). Neuronal damage was similar in both treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Combining antioxidative and antiinflammatory therapy showed no substantial beneficical effect on water maze performance and neuronal damage.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Animals
• Ceftriaxone
• Humans
• Learning
• Learning Disorders
• Memory
• Memory Disorders
• Meningitis, Pneumococcal
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Muridae
• Neurons
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Rifampin
• mortality
• therapy

Other ID:

• GWAIDS0030009

UI: 102269641

From Meeting Abstracts