We present preliminary data on the role of
antibiotics in intraabdominal
sepsis using a new, clinically relevant animal model. Peritoneal cavity
infection was induced by
ligation and perforation of the cecum in adult rats. Surviving rats were randomized to receive either saline or
cefoxitin at the time of cecal excision and peritoneal lavage, 18 h after the onset of
infection. This is different from previous models of abdominal
sepsis (in which
antibiotics are given within 4 h of peritoneal contamination) and mimics the clinical setting in which
antibiotics are initiated much later, at the time of operation.
Antibiotic-treated rats received 20 mg
cefoxitin i.m. every 8 h for 7 days; controls received saline at similar times. Thirty-nine of 67 control rats died (58%) versus 20 of 64 (31%) that received
cefoxitin (p less than 0.005). We conclude that even with delayed administration,
antibiotics appear to improve the outcome of intraabdominal
sepsis. With further characterization of this model we plan to use it as an in vivo assay to compare the efficacy of different
antimicrobial agents in intraabdominal
sepsis.