title: Penetration of linezolid into rabbit intervertebral discs and surrounding tissues.
abstract: Linezolid belongs to a new class of synthetic antimicrobial agent that is effective for a variety of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections including bone and joint MRSA infections, but the effectiveness of linezolid for the treatment of MRSA spine infection remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the diffusion of linezolid or vancomycin into normal rabbit spinal tissues to determine the adequacy of linezolid for the treatment of spinal infection. The penetration efficacy of linezolid into the annulus fibrosus, nucleus pulposus, and vertebral bone (10, 8, and 10%, respectively) was lower than that of vancomycin (27, 11, and 14%, respectively). The penetration efficacy of linezolid into the bone marrow and iliopsoas muscle (88 and 84%, respectively), however, was higher than that of vancomycin (67 and 9%, respectively). These results suggest that linezolid is inadequate for the treatment of spine infection limited to the intervertebral disc, but may be effective for the treatment of infection extending into the muscle and bone marrow, such as in vertebral osteomyelitis, iliopsoas abscess, and postsurgical infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita-15 Nishi-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan.
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahata
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.forename: Yoh
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takekuma
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Irie
authors.forename: Norimasa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minami
mesh_terms: D000081:Acetamides / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D016231:Fluorescence Polarization Immunoassay; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects; D000069349:Linezolid; D008297:Male; D023303:Oxazolidinones / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D011817:Rabbits; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D000081:Acetamides; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D023303:Oxazolidinones; D014640:Vancomycin; D000069349:Linezolid