Chemoprophylaxis of anaerobic pulmonary infections. An experimental study in rabbits

Chemoprophylaxis of anaerobic pulmonary infection due to aspiration was studied in a rabbit model with the view of comparing the efficacy of procaine penicillin, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, doxycycline and cefoxitin. The antibiotic treatment was commenced immediately following transtracheal inoculation of a mixture of Bacteroides fragilis, Streptococcus morbillorum, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Eubacterium lentum. Treatment was stopped after 48 h and lungs were examined for evidence of infection on the 10th day. Only clindamycin and carbencillin were highly efficacious in chemoprophylaxis and both drugs prevented pulmonary infection in 7 of 8 (87%) of the animals tested.