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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, February 2006, p. 654-657, Vol. 50, No. 2
0066-4804/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.50.2.654-657.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Linezolid in Prophylaxis against Experimental Aortic Valve Endocarditis Due to Streptococcus oralis or Enterococcus faecalis

George Athanassopoulos,¹ Angelos Pefanis,^2* Vissaria Sakka,¹ Dimitrios Iliopoulos,^3,4 Despina Perrea,^3,4 and Helen Giamarellou¹

Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital "Attikon,",¹ Third Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital "Sotiria,",² Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research,³ Second Department of Propedeutic Surgery, General Hospital "Laikon," Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece⁴

Received 27 July 2005/ Returned for modification 31 August 2005/ Accepted 15 November 2005

There are no experimental studies regarding the prophylactic efficacy of linezolid against infective endocarditis. Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis of the aortic valve was induced in rabbits by the insertion of a polyethylene catheter. Twenty-four hours later, animals were randomly assigned to a control group, and groups receiving either ampicillin (two doses of 40 mg/kg of body weight each, given intravenously, 2 h apart) or linezolid (a single per os dose of 75 mg/kg). The first dose of ampicillin and the single dose of linezolid were administered 0.5 and 1 h, respectively, prior to the intravenous inoculation of 10⁷ CFU of Streptococcus oralis or Enterococcus faecalis. Linezolid peak levels in rabbit serum were similar to the peak serum levels in humans following a 600-mg oral dose of linezolid. Linezolid prevented endocarditis in 87% of S. oralis-challenged rabbits (P < 0.001 versus controls; P = 0.026 versus ampicillin). In rabbits challenged with E. faecalis, linezolid prevented endocarditis in 73% (P = 0.003 versus controls; P = 0.049 versus ampicillin). Ampicillin prevented endocarditis due to S. oralis or due to E. faecalis in 47% (P = 0.005 versus controls) and in 30% (P = not significant versus controls) of the challenged animals, respectively. In conclusion, linezolid was effective as prophylaxis against endocarditis caused by a strain of S. oralis and to a lesser degree against that caused by a strain of E. faecalis. Its prophylactic efficacy was superior to that of ampicillin.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Third Department of Medicine, Athens University School of Medicine, "Sotiria" General Hospital, 152 Mesogion Avenue, 11527 Athens, Greece. Phone: 30-2109582565. Fax:30-2107778838. E-mail: apefan{at}med.uoa.gr.

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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, February 2006, p. 654-657, Vol. 50, No. 2
0066-4804/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.50.2.654-657.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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