Oxygen as an antibiotic. The effect of inspired oxygen on bacterial clearance
D. R. Knighton, V. D. Fiegel, T. Halverson, S. Schneider, T. Brown and C. L. Wells
Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.
Previous experimentation with the guinea pig skin injection model showed
that altering the fraction of inspired oxygen had a significant effect on
infectious necrosis. Using the same model, we performed quantitative
bacterial cultures to determine the number of viable injected bacteria 24
and 48 hours after injection. Animals were randomized to receive 12%, 21%,
and 45% inspired oxygen. A significant decrease in bacterial number was
seen at 45% inspired oxygen between 24 and 48 hours, and a significant
decrease occurred at 48 hours between 12% and 45% inspired oxygen. These
results demonstrated a prominent role for oxygen in bacterial clearance and
host defense.
