C. Cabellos et al., INFLUENCE OF DEXAMETHASONE ON EFFICACY OF CEFTRIAXONE AND VANCOMYCIN THERAPY IN EXPERIMENTAL PNEUMOCOCCAL MENINGITIS, Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 39(9), 1995, pp. 2158-2160
Using a rabbit model of meningitis, we sought to determine whether con
comitant use of dexamethasone affects the penetration and efficacy of
ceftriaxone or vancomycin in cerebrospinal fluid. Rabbits were inocula
ted with a penicillin-sensitive strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae and
treated with ceftriaxone or vancomycin with or without dexamethasone.
In the ceftriaxone-treated groups, no statistically significant diffe
rences were seen between the group treated with dexamethasone and that
without dexamethasone; however, in the vancomycin-treated groups we f
ound statistically significant lower cerebrospinal fluid vancomycin le
vels at 2 h in the dexamethasone-treated rabbits and differences in ba
cterial killing.