An Investigation into the Re-Emergence of Disease Following Cessation of Antibiotic Treatment in Balb/c Mice Infected with Inhalational Burkholderia pseudomallei

Abstract

Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a multifaceted disease. A proportion of the mortality and morbidity reported as a result of infection with this organism may be due to the premature cessation of antibiotic therapy typically lasting for several months. The progression of re-emergent disease was characterised in Balb/c mice following cessation of a 14 day treatment course of co-trimoxazole or finafloxacin, delivered at a human equivalent dose. Mice were culled weekly and the infection characterised in terms of bacterial load in tissues, weight loss, clinical signs of infection, cytokine levels and immunological cell counts. Following cessation of treatment, the infection re-established in some animals. Finafloxacin prevented the re-establishment of the infection for longer than co-trimoxazole, and it is apparent based on the protection offered, the development of clinical signs of disease, bodyweight loss and bacterial load, that finafloxacin was more effective at controlling infection when compared to co-trimoxazole.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Oct 20, 2022
Source ID
10.3390/antibiotics11101442

Entities

People

  • Alejandro Nunez
  • Andreas Vente
  • David Rushton
  • Dominic C. Jenner
  • Joanne E. Thwaite
  • Kay B. Barnes
  • Mark I. Richards
  • Michelle Nelson
  • Sarah V. Harding
  • Thomas R Laws

Organizations

  • Defense Threat Reduction Agency

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Microbial Pathology
  • Molecular and genetic basis of cancer.
  • Toxicology/Environmental Toxicology