Limited efficacy of adjuvant therapy with dexamethasone in preventing hearing loss due to experimental pneumococcal meningitis in the infant rat

Coimbra, Roney S; Loquet, Gérard; Leib, Stephen L. (2007). Limited efficacy of adjuvant therapy with dexamethasone in preventing hearing loss due to experimental pneumococcal meningitis in the infant rat. Pediatric research, 62(3), pp. 291-294. New York, N.Y.: Nature Publishing Group 10.1203/PDR.0b013e318123fb7c

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Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the most common sequel of bacterial meningitis (BM) and is observed in up to 30% of survivors when the disease is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. BM is the single most important origin of acquired SNHL in childhood. Anti-inflammatory dexamethasone holds promises as potential adjuvant therapy to prevent SNHL associated with BM. However, in infant rats, pneumococcal meningitis (PM) increased auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds [mean difference = 54 decibels sound pressure level (dB SPL)], measured 3 wk after infection, irrespective to treatment with ceftriaxone plus dexamethasone or ceftriaxone plus saline (p < 0.005 compared with mock-infected controls). Moreover, dexamethasone did not attenuate short- and long-term histomorphologic correlates of SNHL. At 24 h after infection, blood-labyrinth barrier (BLB) permeability was significantly increased in infected animals of both treatment groups compared with controls. Three weeks after the infection, the averaged number of type I neurons per square millimeter of the Rosenthal's canal dropped from 0.3019 +/- 0.0252 in controls to 0.2227 +/- 0.0635 in infected animals receiving saline (p < 0.0005). Dexamethasone was not more effective than saline in preventing neuron loss (0.2462 +/- 0.0399; p > 0.05). These results suggest that more efficient adjuvant therapies are needed to prevent SNHL associated with pediatric PM.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute for Infectious Diseases
UniBE Contributor:	Leib, Stephen
ISSN:	0031-3998
ISBN:	17622952
Publisher:	Nature Publishing Group
Language:	English
Submitter:	Factscience Import
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2013 14:56
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:17
Publisher DOI:	10.1203/PDR.0b013e318123fb7c
PubMed ID:	17622952
Web of Science ID:	000248973200011
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/23928 (FactScience: 45261)