A Study of the Effect of Specific Antibacterial Therapy on the Course of Tuberculous Spondylitis in an Experiment

Abstract

Objective — to assess the impact of modern antibacterial therapy on the development of a specific destructive process in experimental tuberculous spondylitis in animals. Materials and methods. The experiments were conducted on 40 sexually mature guinea pigs (age over 6 months) with an average weight of 350—500 grams. Tuberculous spondylitis was induced using a proprietary method (Patent No. 112423 (UA) Ukraine).All experimental animals were divided into 4 equal groups. Groups 1—3 (main groups) received an injection of 0.5 ml of M. tuberculosis suspension (0.1 mg of dry weight in 1 ml) into the body of the vertebra, according to the specified method. Group 4 served as the control, receiving an injection of sterile physiological solution (0.9 % NaCl, 0.5 ml) into the vertebra.Specific first-line antibacterial drugs (ABDs) consisting of isoniazid, streptomycin, and rifampicin were administered to Group 1, which consisted of 10 guinea pigs. Group 2, also comprising 10 guinea pigs, received specific second-line ABDs, including amikacin, rifabutin and ofloxacin. Groups 3 and 4, each consisting of 10 guinea pigs, received no treatment. Results and discussion. The morphological analysis revealed the presence of an active tuberculosis process in the vertebral bodies and paravertebral tissues of animals subjected to tuberculosis simulation, regardless of whether they received specific first-line ABD treatment or not. Notably, the severity of destructive changes in affected vertebrae was similar between untreated animals and those treated with first-line ABDs.Animals modeled for tuberculosis and treated with specific second-line ABDs exhibited a suppression of the pathological process. This was evidenced by the formation of immature bone and connective tissue to varying degrees, along with the presence of a delineating zone separating the inflammatory focus from healthy tissue in the early stages of the disease (one month).Conclusions. Based on the histological examination of the vertebral bodies, it was established that the animals treated with specific first-line ABD showed clear morphological features of tuberculous inflammation. In animals treated with specific second-line ABD, inhibition of the pathological process.This study showed that the implementation of modern intensive specific antibacterial therapy in experimental conditions allows to achieve the delimitation of the destructive process in the relatively early stages of the disease development (4—5 weeks).The obtained new knowledge about the pathomorphological features of the course of TS against the background of carrying out specific antibacterial therapy allows radical surgical interventions on the musculoskeletal system without the risk of generalization of the tuberculosis process at an earlier time (compared with the generally accepted ones).