Preclinical in vivo study demonstrates marked therapeutic survival in lethal bacterial infections in mice, indicating penicillin's clinical potential as an antimicrobial agent.
Key Points
To isolate and evaluate the chemical, pharmacological, and in vivo therapeutic properties of penicillin against lethal bacterial infections.
Extracted water-soluble penicillin powder from Penicillium notatum cultures and evaluated toxicity, absorption, and excretion across mice, rats, and cats.
Assayed in vitro growth-inhibiting activity against multiple aerobic and anaerobic bacterial pathogens at varying dilutions.
Administered repeated subcutaneous injections of penicillin (10 mg/mL) to mice experimentally infected with lethal doses of Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, or Clostridium septique.
In mice with lethal Streptococcus pyogenes infection, 24 of 25 (96.0%) treated animals survived compared with 0 of 25 (0%) untreated controls.
In mice with lethal Staphylococcus aureus infection, 21 of 24 (87.5%) treated animals survived versus 0 of 24 (0%) untreated controls.
In mice infected with Clostridium septique spores, extended penicillin treatment resulted in 24 of 25 (96.0%) survivals compared with 0 of 25 (0%) untreated control deaths.