Rifampin reduces early mortality in experimental Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis.

Abstract

Compared with beta-lactam antibiotics, rifampin releases smaller quantities of proinflammatory cell wall products from Streptococcus pneumoniae in vitro. Mice infected intracerebrally with S. pneumoniae were treated subcutaneously with 2-mg doses of rifampin or ceftriaxone (n=43 each) every 12 h for 3 days and then observed for another 3 days. Rifampin reduced overall mortality from 49% to 26% (P=.04). Kaplan-Meyer analysis revealed a substantial reduction of mortality during the first 24 h in mice receiving rifampin (difference in survival time: P=.007). Eight h after receiving a single 2-mg dose of rifampin or ceftriaxone, rifampin-treated mice had lower serum and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of lipoteichoic and teichoic acids than did ceftriaxone-treated mice (median serum level: <0.5 vs. 27.0 ng/mL, P=.02; median cerebrospinal fluid level of pooled specimens: 97.5 vs. 206.0 ng/mL). Thus, the use of rifampin appears promising for reducing the release of proinflammatory bacterial components and decreasing early mortality in bacterial meningitis.

• Authors: R Nau, A Wellmer, A Soto, K Koch, O Schneider, H Schmidt, J Gerber, U Michel, W Brück
• Journal: The Journal of infectious diseases (J Infect Dis) Vol. 179 Issue 6 Pg. 1557-60 (Jun 1999) ISSN: 0022-1899 [Print] United States
• PMID: 10228082 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Inflammation Mediators
• Ceftriaxone
• Rifampin

Topics

• Animals
• Ceftriaxone (therapeutic use)
• Inflammation Mediators
• Meningitis, Pneumococcal (drug therapy, immunology, mortality)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Probability
• Rifampin (therapeutic use)