Decadron in the treatment of cerebral abscess

Abstract

Rabbits (40) were inoculated with Streptococcus pyogenes or Staphylococcus aureus to produce cerebral abscesses. Of the rabbits, 1/3 received no treatment and served as controls, 1/3 received dexamethasone (Decadron) plus an appropriate antibiotic, and 1/3 received only the appropriate antibiotic in the same dosage. The animals were sacrified 10 days after inoculation and the brains examined. In the control group, an abscess at the stage of granulation tissue encapsulation containing the inoculated organisms was found. The surrounding brain showed a marked inflammatory response. In the Decadron plus antibiotic group, necrotic lesions were found containing the inoculated organisms and surrounded by relatively normal brain. In the group treated with antibiotic alone, healed glial scars were found in relatively normal brain. Findings are discussed with reference to the medical literature regarding the influence of glucocorticoids on the inflammatory response and the efficacy of antibiotics when this response is suppressed.