Site of action of nitrofurantoin in experimental urinary tract infection.

The effectiveness of nitrofurantoin in suppressing bacterial growth in the urinary tract was evaluated by using two different experimental models. Pyelonephritis was produced in rats by direct inoculation of 10(4)Escherichia coli in the medulla of left kidney. Ascending urinary tract infection was induced by inoculation into the urinary bladder of 10(7)Proteus mirabilis, after a partial cystectomy. Nitrofurantoin was shown to be effective in suppressing bladder bacteriuria, in preventing ascending pyelonephritis, and also in preventing bacterial multiplication in kidney tissue following direct inoculation.