RESUMO
Penicillin concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured at various hours and days of treatment in 163 infants undergoing therapy for congenital syphilis. The CSF levels were compared for three treatment regimens. Aqueous penicillin G (A-PEN), 100,000 U/kg per day, was used in 23 infant, and a dosage of 200,000 U/kg per day was used in 40 patients; procaine penicillin G (P-PEN), 50,000 U/kg per day, was used in 100 children. Mean CSF penicillin levels were 0.416, 0.493, and 0.077 microgram/ml, respectively, in the three treatment groups. The mean CSF penicillin concentration among the 63 infants treated with either of the A-PEN regimens (0.465 microgram/ml) was significantly greater than the mean concentration (0.077 microgram/ml) among those treated with P-PEN (p < 0.001). Among those who received A-PEN, the difference in dosage was not associated with a significant difference in mean CSF penicillin concentration (p = 0.68). All the specimens obtained from patients who received A-PEN, but only 82% of those from patients who received P-PEN, had treponemicidal concentrations (> or = 0.018 microgram/ml). However, 33.3% (9/27) of specimens from infants who received P-PEN, tested between 18 and 24 hours after a dose, had CSF penicillin concentrations < 0.018 microgram/ml. These data suggest that administration of A-PEN may be the preferred therapy if CSF levels > 0.018 microgram/ml are desired, especially for infants with severe disease or congenital neurosyphilis.
Assuntos
Penicilina G Procaína/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Penicilina G/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Sífilis Congênita/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Humanos , Recém-Nascido , Penicilina G/uso terapêutico , Penicilina G Procaína/uso terapêutico , Estudos Prospectivos , Sífilis Congênita/tratamento farmacológicoRESUMO
Forty patients with suspected non-CNS Hib infections were treated with cefamandole at a dosage of 100 to 150 mg/kg/day. Hib was isolated from 19 patients; three of the isolates were Blac+. All patients responded well without complications except for two children, both infected with Blac+ organisms, who subsequently developed meningitis, one three weeks following treatment for buccal cellulitis and bacteremia, the other while being treated with cefamandole for empyema. All strains of Hib were uniformly susceptible to cefamandole regardless of beta-lactamase production when tested with an inoculum of 10(4) cfu/ml. With 10(7) cfu/ml an inoculum effect was seen which was more pronounced with Blac+ strains. Moreover, "heavy" inoculum of Blac+ strains inactivated cefamandole in four to eight hours resulting in bacterial overgrowth. Similar results were obtained for ampicillin; chloramphenicol killed all strains regardless of inoculum size or beta-lactamase production. We conclude that cefamandole may be hydrolyzed by Blac+ organisms when present in large numbers, resulting in treatment failure. Extreme care should be taken in the choice of cefamandole for young infants with Hib infections, since this antibiotic neither cures nor prevents meningitis.