Toxicity and efficacy of intravitreal injection of spartanamicin B in the treatment of Candida endophthalmitis

• Published in: International ophthalmology Vol. 22; no. 1; p. 53
• Main Authors: Serracarbassa, P D, Peyman, G A, Liang, C, Calixto, Jr, N, Nair, M G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 1998
• Subjects: Animals; Anthracyclines; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic - administration & dosage; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic - therapeutic use; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic - toxicity; Antifungal Agents - administration & dosage; Antifungal Agents - therapeutic use; Antifungal Agents - toxicity; Candidiasis - drug therapy; Candidiasis - microbiology; Candidiasis - pathology; Disease Models, Animal; Electroretinography; Endophthalmitis - drug therapy; Endophthalmitis - microbiology; Endophthalmitis - pathology; Eye Infections, Fungal - drug therapy; Eye Infections, Fungal - microbiology; Eye Infections, Fungal - pathology; Follow-Up Studies; Injections; Rabbits; Retina - drug effects; Retina - microbiology; Retina - pathology; Treatment Outcome; Vitreous Body - drug effects; Vitreous Body - microbiology; Vitreous Body - pathology
• ISSN: 0165-5701
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1006191629625

We evaluated the retinal toxicity of spartanamicin B and its efficacy in a rabbit model of Candidal endophthalmitis.
Toxicity. Fourteen albino rabbit eyes were injected intravitreally with spartanamicin B (1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 microg); 2 eyes received the vehicle alone. Efficacy. Ten rabbit eyes were inoculated with 3000 Candida organisms which caused endophthalmitis in 24 hours. Eight eyes were treated with intravitreal spartanamicin B in doses of 1, 2, 5, or 10 microg/0.1 ml; 2 untreated eyes served as controls.
Toxicity. The eyes injected with < or =10 microg and the control group eyes exhibited no clinical, histological, or electroretinographic evidence of retinal toxicity. Doses >10 microg caused vitritis. Efficacy. Clinical examination of the treated eyes showed a gradual improvement over 3-6 days; mild opacities remained until day 14. Results of cultures performed 15 days after infection were negative in all treated eyes.
Intravitreally injected spartanamicin B (10 microg) is nontoxic to the retina, effective against C. albicans in the endophthalmitis model in the rabbit eye and caused no discernible histological changes in the retina.