Abstract
Summary
The growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was studied in stationary broth cultures (11 mm deep) exposed to 100% oxygen at 3 atmospheres absolute (3 ATA). During exposure, growth was greatly inhibited. Cultures transferred to air after high pressure oxygen (HPO) resumed logarithmic growth at rates similar to unexposed cultures, but lag periods increased. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of polymyxin B was determined for 6 strains of P. aeruginosa after exposure to HPO for 3, 6 and 12 hours. The longer the exposure, the lower the MIC. Regardless of the strain, after 3 hours exposure to HPO about 75% of the amount of antibiotic required for the MIC of unexposed cultures was needed; after 6 hours exposure, about 50%; and after 12 hours exposure, about 30%. This suggests that it may be possible to increase the therapeutic effectiveness of an antibiotic administered at its maximum dosage if exposure of the patient to HPO can also bathe the infecting microorganisms with oxygen.
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