Experimental Osteomyelitis. II. Therapeutic Trials and Measurement of Antibiotic Levels in Bone

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Abstract
This study measured levels of lincomycin and cephalothin in normal and osteomyelitic bone of rabbits and compared the effect of each agent in the treatment of osteomyelitis. Proportionately more lincomycin than cephalothin was found in bone in relation to levels in serum. Levels of both antibiotics were frequently detected in higher concentrations in osteomyelitic than in normal bones. Treatment with either cephalothin or lincomycin significantly reduced the severity of bone disease; therapy begun one day after infection was more effective in this regard than therapy begun 14 days after infection. Lincomycin-treated rabbits had significantly less severe bone disease than did rabbits receiving cephalothin. Cephalothin administered for 28 days was more effective in sterilizing bone than treatment for only 14 days; lincomycin was equally effective whether given for 14 or 28 days. The data suggest that there is not a simple relationship between the level of an antibiotic in bone and its likelihood of sterilizing this tissue.