Clindamycin and quinolone therapy for Bacillus anthracis Sterne infection in 60Co-gamma-photon-irradiated and sham-irradiated mice.

OBJECTIVES: Sublethal ionizing doses of radiation increase the susceptibility of mice to Bacillus anthracis Sterne infection. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of clindamycin in 60Co-gamma-photon-irradiated and sham-irradiated mice after intratracheal challenge with B. anthracis Sterne spores. Clindamycin has in vitro activity against B. anthracis and inhibits the production of toxin from other species, although no direct evidence exists that production of B. anthracis toxin is inhibited. METHODS: Ten-week-old B6D2F1/J female mice were either sham-irradiated or given a sublethal 7 Gy dose of 60Co-gamma-photon radiation 4 days prior to an intratracheal challenge with toxigenic B. anthracis Sterne spores. Mice were treated twice daily with 200 mg/kg clindamycin (subcutaneous or oral), 100 mg/kg moxifloxacin (oral), 50 mg/kg ciprofloxacin (subcutaneous) or a combination therapy (clindamycin + ciprofloxacin). Bacteria were isolated and identified from lung, liver and heart blood at five timed intervals after irradiation. Survival was recorded twice daily following intratracheal challenge. RESULTS: The use of clindamycin increased survival in gamma-irradiated and sham-irradiated animals challenged with B. anthracis Sterne in comparison with control mice (P < 0.001). Ciprofloxacin-treated animals had higher survival compared with clindamycin-treated animals in two experiments, and less survival in a third experiment, although differences were not statistically significant. Moxifloxacin was just as effective as clindamycin. Combination therapy did not improve survival of sham-irradiated animals and significantly decreased survival among gamma-irradiated animals (P = 0.01) in comparison with clindamycin-treated animals. B. anthracis Sterne was isolated from lung, liver and heart blood, irrespective of the antimicrobial treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with clindamycin, ciprofloxacin or moxifloxacin increased survival in sham-irradiated and gamma-irradiated animals challenged intratracheally with B. anthracis Sterne spores. However, the combination of clindamycin and ciprofloxacin increased mortality associated with B. anthracis Sterne infection, particularly in gamma-irradiated animals.

Urinary and serum mutagenicity studies with rats implanted with depleted uranium or tantalum pellets.

During the 1991 Persian Gulf War several US military personnel were wounded by shrapnel fragments consisting of depleted uranium. These fragments were treated as conventional shrapnel and were not surgically removed to spare excessive tissue damage. Uranium bioassays conducted over a year after the initial uranium injury indicated a significant increase in urine uranium levels above natural background levels. The potential mutagenic effects of depleted uranium are unknown. To assess the potential mutagenic effects of long-term exposure to internalized depleted uranium, Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with depleted uranium and their urine and serum were evaluated for mutagenic potential at various times after pellet implantation using the Ames Salmonella reversion assay. Tantalum, an inert metal widely used in prosthetic devices was used for comparison. Enhancement of mutagenic activity in Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98 and the Ames II mixed strains (TA7001-7006) was observed in urine samples from animals implanted with depleted uranium pellets. In contrast, urine samples from animals implanted with tantalum did not show a significant enhancement of mutagenic activity in these strains. In depleted uranium-implanted animals, urine mutagenicity increased in a dose- and time-dependent manner demonstrating a strong positive correlation with urine uranium levels (r = 0.995, P < 0.001). There was no mutagenic enhancement of any bacterial strain detected in the sera of animals implanted with either depleted uranium or tantalum pellets. The results suggest that uranium content in the urine is correlated with urine mutagenicity and that urinary mutagenicity might be used as a biomarker to detect exposure to internalized uranium.

Oncogenic potential of hyperthermia in combination with radiation.

The C3H 10T1/2 mouse embryo cell line was used to determine the effect of hyperthermia on the in vitro oncogenic transforming potential of radiation. Heat exposures at 45 degrees C/15 min or at 43 degrees C/60 min administered alone yielded no significant transformation as previously reported. However, our recent results repeat our earlier findings that there is an increase in the in vitro transformation frequency after the combined treatment of hyperthermia and radiation, if foci/flask or foci/surviving cell are used to calculate transformation frequency, if high temperature exposures are used (e.g. 43 degrees C/60 min or 45 degrees C/15 min) and if the time between the combined treatments of hyperthermia and 200 cGy of 60Co radiation is < or = 5 min at ambient temperature. As can be seen in this and past reports whether the combination of hyperthermia and radiation show an increase, a decrease, or no change in in vitro oncogenic transformation, a number of factors are critical. These critical factors are (1) temperature/exposure time and radiation dose as expected; (2) stage of the cell cycle and growth conditions at each exposure; (3) time between treatments; and (4) method of data analysis, i.e. whether the transformation frequency was based on the foci/viable cells, foci/flask or the foci/total cells at risk (total cells plated x plating efficiency of the untreated cells). Recent publications have shown that the position of cells in the cell cycle determine the frequency of cell transformation (Cao et al. 1992, Miller et al. 1992). Factors 1-3 affect the cells position in the cell cycle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)