Failure of single doses of cefazolin and cefamandole to penetrate experimental chronic Escherichia coli abdominal abscesses.

Four perforated capsules were implanted into the abdominal cavity of each of three rabbits. After 4 to 5 weeks, single doses of cefazolin (30 mg/kg) or cefamandole (90 mg/kg) were administered intramuscularly. Peak levels of the respective drugs in serum were 104 +/- 10 and 127 +/- 5 micrograms/ml (mean +/- standard error); corresponding peak levels in capsule fluid were 6.3 +/- 2.3 micrograms/ml. Sixteen weeks after implantation, 2 X 10(6) colony-forming units of a strain of Escherichia coli susceptible to cefazolin (minimum inhibitory concentration, 1.0 microgram/ml) and cefamandole (minimum inhibitory concentration, less than 0.125 microgram/ml) was introduced into each of the 12 capsules. Chronic infection was established in seven of the capsules. At 4 to 6 weeks after infection, cefazolin and cefamandole were again administered. Peak serum concentrations were 102 +/- 3.3 micrograms/ml for cefazolin and 148 +/- 6.7 micrograms/ml for cefamandole. Peak concentrations in noninfected capsules were 7.5 +/- 3.4 and 12.1 +/- 2.1 micrograms/ml, respectively, not statistically different from the first study (P greater than 0.2). However, peak concentrations in infected capsules (less than 0.3 microgram/ml) were strikingly lower than in uninfected capsules (P less than 0.002). In keeping with the latter finding, quantitative cultures of E. coli in the infected capsules remained unchanged. Administration of [14C]cefamandole indicated that low drug levels were a result of poor drug penetration rather than drug inactivation or binding. Lack of vascularity and capsule wall necrosis may be responsible for poor drug penetration.