Doxycycline or ciprofloxacin prophylaxis and therapy against experimental Yersinia pestis infection in mice
Open Access
- 1 April 1996
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
- Vol. 37 (4) , 769-774
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jac/37.4.769
Abstract
The efficacy of doxycycine and ciprofloxacin against an experimental plague infection was assessed by comparing the median lethal dose (MLD) of Yersinia pestis in antibiotic-treated and untreated mice. The MLD of Y. pestis GB strain in untreated mice by the intra-peritoneal route was 23 cfu. If ciprofloxacin dosage (20 or 40 mg/kg twice daily) was initiated 48 h before infection, it afforded complete protection against an intra-peritoneal challenge of 5.24×107 cfu. Ciprofloxacin therapy initiated 24 h post-challenge was less protective, the MLD was raised to 2.0×105 and 2.2×105 cfu for 40 and 20 mg/kg respectively. Doxycycine dosage (40 mg/kg twice daily) initiated 48 h prior to infection raised the MLD to 1.6×10 cfu, but other prophylactic and therapeutic regimes were ineffective against challenges greater than 6.76×102 cfu. Ciprofloxacin may therefore be a useful antibiotic to consider for the treatment of plague.Keywords
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