title: Anaerobic osteomyelitis--treatment with metronidazole in an experimental rabbit model.
abstract: Anaerobic micro-organisms are important agents in chronic bone infections. Their pathogenic role, however, is still unclear partly because of methodological reasons. In this paper an experimental model of osteomyelitis is used for studies of metronidazole treatment of bone infections induced by Bacteroides fragilis. The proximal tibial metaphyses of ten New Zealand white rabbits were excavated and filled with sheets of polyvinyl alcohol, into which a suspension of B. fragilis cells was injected on the right side, while saline was used on the left side. Within a month the animals showed immunological and radiological signs of an established bone infection. After 25 weeks of observation, four animals were treated with subcutaneous injections of metronidazole at a dosage of 10 mg/kg body weight twice daily for three weeks and five animals received saline. After 37 weeks the animals were killed. Radiological, histological and microbiological evaluation showed bilateral osteomyelitis in all animals. Prolonged raised titres of antibodies suggested an established infection, and not merely a colonization. There were no differences between the animals treated with metronidazole and the animals not treated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eliasson
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Svensson
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Nord
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001442:Bacteroides Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D001441:Bacteroides fragilis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D011817:Rabbits; D011859:Radiography
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D008795:Metronidazole