Resistance of antibiotic-bonded gelatin-coated polymer meshes to Staphylococcus aureus in a rabbit subcutaneous pouch model

Biomaterials This study examines the efficacy of the bonding of rifampicin, vancomycin or gentamicin to gelatin-coated knitted polymer meshes to preve nt perioperative infection. Antibiotic bonding was obtained by soaking the meshes for 15 min in a solution containing 20 mg ml(-1) rifampicin or 10 mg ml(-1) of vancomycin or gentamicin. A polymer mesh was implanted in a subc utaneous pouch in 16 rabbits: four received a rifampicin-soaked mesh, four received a vancomycin-soaked mesh, four received a gentamicin-soaked mesh, and four received an untreated mesh (control group). At the time of implant ation, all the meshes were contaminated locally with 10(8) colony forming u nits of Staphylococcus aureus. Meshes were harvested one week later and sub mitted to bacterial counts. At the time of explantation, none of the antibi otic-soaked meshes were infected, whereas all the untreated meshes were inf ected. These results show that antibiotic soaking evidently prevents periop erative infection of gelatin-coated knitted polymer meshes in this model. ( C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.