[Functional state of the adrenal cortex in the antibiotic therapy of experimental staphylococcal infection].

The functional state of the cortex in experimental animals before and after treatment with tetracycline was studied under conditions of prolonged infection caused by intravenous administration of Staph. aureus. Three staphylococcal strains were used in the study: sensitive, low sensitive and resistant to tetracycline. It was shown that development of the infection in the animals was accompanied by a decrease in the cortex function. Oral administration of tetracycline in a dose of 200 mg/kg resulted in normalization of the glucocorticoid function of the gland after 15 days of its use. Since the same phenomenon was observed when the animals were infected with the antibiotic resistant strains of staphylococci, it was supposed that the therapeutic effect of tetracycline was defined by both the antibacterial action and capacity for increasing the protective-adaptive reactions of the host by stimulation of the cortex function.