Kanamycin and gentamicin treatment of neonatal sepsis and meningitis.

Mortality from neonatal meningitis due to gram-negative microorganisms remains 50% despite use of aminoglycoside antibiotics. Blood was obtained on 238 occasions from 77 neonates with putative or documented sepsis; paired blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were obtained on 14 occasions from ten neonates with meningitis. Kanamycin and gentamicin were measured by a radioisotopic assay procedure. Kanamycin was administered at 15 mg/kg/day in three divided doses intravenously; serum concentrations peaked at one hour (mean, 7.77mug/ml). Gentamicin was administered at 7.5 mg/kg/day in three divided doses intravenously; serum concentrations peaked at two hours (mean, 5.34mug/ml). Both aminoglycosides generally were nondetectable within the CSF; survival of neonates with gram-negative meningitis correlated specifically with the sensitivity of their isolates to ampicillin which was administered concurrently. This study suggests that alternative approaches to the treatment of neonatal sepsis should be explored; administration of an antibiotic which crosses the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier more readily should be considered.