Experimental mandibular Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis; antibody response and treatment with dicloxacillin.

Staphylococcus aureus mandibular osteomyelitis was produced in 20 rabbits by injection of a sclerosing agent and 1 X 10(9) colony-forming units of Staphylococcus aureus V8 into the medullary cavity of the mandible. After 2 weeks all rabbits developed infections. 10 of the rabbits were then treated with dicloxacillin (22.5 mg/kg body weight) every 12 h for 7 days and 10 were left untreated. The animals were sacrificed after 8 weeks and histopathological examination was performed. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure IgG response against staphylococcal teichoic acid and alpha-toxin during the observation period. In the treated group, there was a decrease in clinical symptoms after the treatment period, while in the untreated group, progression of the infection was a common finding. At the end of the treatment period, Staphylococcus aureus V8 could not be recovered from aspirates obtained from animals in the treatment group, while in the non-treatment group, Staphylococcus aureus V8 could be recovered from abscesses in 6 rabbits. Both in the treated group and in the untreated group, the rabbits showed increasing IgG titers against teichoic acid and alpha-toxin during the first 2-3 weeks. No significant differences in antibody response patterns were noted between the treated and untreated groups and no clear correlation between the immunological response and the severity of the disease was observed.