Abstract

In acute and lethal infections, antibiotics reduce mortality and therefore extend the duration of the immune response. The progression of the immune response to acute,Burkholderia pseudomallei K96243 infection, via the aerosol route, in BALB/c mice treated with doxycycline (7 days, daily, orally) was explored. The therapy extended survival and limited bacterial growth in the lungs. After cessation of antibiotic therapy, bacterial numbers resurged. The numbers of phagocytes continued to increase with secondary bacterial growth, while inflammatory cytokine concentrations declined. We propose that this model may be more pertinent for the study of human melioidosis.

Key words: Burkholderia pseudomallei, respiratory, pulmonary, innate immunity, cytokines, bacteria, leukocytes, neutrophils, macrophages, monocytes, antibiotics, doxycycline.