EXPERIMENTAL SEPTIC ARTHRITIS IN RABBITS TREATED BY A COMBINATION OF ANTIBIOTIC AND STEROID DRUGS

Objectives. Intraarticular steroid injection is traditionally contrain dicated during acute septic arthritis. However, there is abundant evid ence which proves that the damage to the joint is not only due to the direct effect of bacteria, but also to the local protective mechanisms evoked by the organism. There is, therefore, theoretical justificatio n for a combined therapy of systemic antibiotics and intraarticular co rticosteroids in septic arthritis. Methods. Experimental arthritis was induced by the intraarticular injection of Staphylococcus epidermidis in rabbits. The experimental scheme included three groups of animals: animals that were infected but not treated (group 1); animals treated with systemic antibiotics (group 2); and animals treated with systemi c antibiotics and intraarticular steroids (group 3). Nine days later t he animals were sacrificed and joint histopathological-histochemicnl i ndices were calculated. Results. Animals from groups 2 and 3 had a sma ller pannus, reduced proteoglycan loss, no loss of cartilage height an d diminished synovial inflammation in comparison to the animals from g roup 1. The animals from groups 2 and 3 were identical in terms of car tilage cellularity, surface erosion, chondrocyte cloning, pannus forma tion and proteoglycan loss. Synovial inflammation appeared to be less pronounced in group 3 animals when compared to animals of group 2. Con clusion. Concomitant antibiotic-steroid treatment of septic arthritis seems to be harmless in this experimental setting.