The Journal of infectious diseases
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Comparative Study
Bacteremia versus endotoxemia in experimental mouse leukopenia--role of antibiotic chemotherapy.
Imipenem and ceftazidime have different specificities for penicillin-binding proteins and cause a differential release of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria in vitro. In studies in mice made leukopenic by the administration of cyclophosphamide, the innate relative resistance to the lethal effects of LPS was not significantly changed, but these animals became highly sensitized to bacterial infection. ⋯ Administration of either antibiotic resulted in a shift in the LD50 of approximately 500-fold, in contrast to D-galactosamine-treated LPS-sensitized mice, in which a < 10-fold increase in the LD50 was observed with antibiotic therapy. Further, if mice were made LPS-sensitive with D-galactosamine, no differences between leukopenic and normal mice were noted with antibiotic therapy.