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. 1979 Aug;16(2):167–170. doi: 10.1128/aac.16.2.167

Etiology of Tetracycline-Associated Pseudomembranous Colitis in Hamsters

Renu Toshniwal 1, Robert Fekety 1, Joseph Silva Jr 1
PMCID: PMC352815  PMID: 485127

Abstract

Tetracyclines were implicated in the 1950s in induction of protracted diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. Because the pathogenetic mechanism of these illnesses has been questioned recently, we studied tetracycline in hamster models of antibiotic-associated colitis. Orogastric administration of tetracycline caused diarrhea and death, with evidence of hemorrhagic typhlitis. Filtrates of cecal contents were toxic when inoculated into normal hamsters and cell culture monolayers, and toxicity was neutralized with Clostridium sordellii antitoxin. Tetracycline-resistant C. difficile was cultured from stools of these hamsters, but Staphylococcus aureus was not isolated. The value of tetracycline for treatment or prevention of clindamycin-induced colitis in hamsters was also studied, and it was found that daily orogastric administration of tetracycline was poorly protective against clindamycin-induced colitis.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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