Effect of moxifloxacin versus imipenem/cilastatin treatment on the mortality of mice infected intravenously with different strains of Bacteroides fragilis and Escherichia coli.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of moxifloxacin versus imipenem/cilastatin (hereafter referred to as imipenem) treatment on the mortality of mice infected intravenously with different strains of Bacteroides fragilis and Escherichia coli.


METHODS
Groups of 20 mice each were infected intravenously with different strains of B. fragilis [moxifloxacin and imipenem susceptible or resistant, and enterotoxin (ET) positive or negative] and E. coli (moxifloxacin and imipenem susceptible). Twenty-four hours post-infection, intravenous therapy with either moxifloxacin (2.0 mg twice a day) or imipenem (2.4 mg three times a day) was started and continued for 3 days. Control groups were left untreated. Survival rates were recorded at day 7 post-infection. At that time, surviving mice were killed and numbers of bacteria in the liver and kidneys were determined.


RESULTS
If compared with untreated animals, mice treated with either moxifloxacin or imipenem showed significantly improved survival (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference (P = 0.97) in the survival rates comparing the two treatment regimens irrespective of the ET positivity or the susceptibility to moxifloxacin or imipenem of the infective B. fragilis strain. However, there was a tendency that B. fragilis was recovered more often from the liver and kidneys of mice infected with ET positive strains.


CONCLUSIONS
The data show that moxifloxacin was as efficacious as imipenem in reducing the mortality rate of mice suffering from a severe systemic aerobic/anaerobic infection.
Schaumann
Reiner
R
Institute for Medical Microbiology and Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, University of Leipzig, Liebigstr. 24, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. schaur@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Blatz
Rosemarie
R
Beer
Joerg
J
Ackermann
Grit
G
Rodloff
Arne C
AC
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001372:Aza Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001442:Bacteroides Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D001441:Bacteroides fragilis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D015377:Cilastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077728:Cilastatin, Imipenem Drug Combination; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D015378:Imipenem / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007668:Kidney / Q000382:microbiology; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D000077266:Moxifloxacin; D011804:Quinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001372:Aza Compounds; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004338:Drug Combinations; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D011804:Quinolines; D015377:Cilastatin; D015378:Imipenem; D000077728:Cilastatin, Imipenem Drug Combination; D000077266:Moxifloxacin