Experimental pneumococcal and staphylococcal sepsis: effects of hydrocortisone and phenoxybenzamine upon mortality rates.

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Abstract
Penicillin given after the fourth hour of pneumococcal sepsis in rabbits does not prevent deaths expected to occur within 24 hours in untreated animals. Hydrocortisone combined with penicillin prevents deaths not prevented by the antibiotic alone, when given in doses of 20 mg/kg or more before the tenth hour of infection. Hydrocortisone had no beneficial effect upon death from staphylococcal infection treated with methicillin. Phenoxybenzamine pretreatment of rabbits with staphylococcal sepsis given methicillin late in the course of disease prevented deaths ordinarily expected to occur and not prevented by methicillin alone. Phenoxybenzamine treatment given with methicillin after onset of infection, however, did not reduce the mortality rate. Phenoxybenzamine pretreatment of rabbits with pneumococcal sepsis given penicillin late in the course of disease did not prevent deaths expected to occur and not prevented by penicillin alone.