The screening of four aminoglycosides in the selective decontamination of the digestive tract in mice.

The suppressive effect of amikacin, gentamicin, tobramycin and paromomycin on the aerobic endogenous flora and on the colonization resistance of the digestive tract was tested by administering one of the antibiotics orally at five different dose levels. At a certain dose level, all antibiotics suppressed the endogenous Enterobacteriaceae species. Amikacin was particularly effective in this respect. Low doses of amikacin rapidly destroyed the colonization resistance. This resistance only remained unaffected in animals treated with tobramycin in doses that were still adequate to completely suppress the endogenous Enterobacteriaceae species. We concluded that of all the antibiotics tested in this study, only tobramycin may have a future in (clinical) application for the selective decontamination of the digestive tract. Selective decontamination can be considered an effective method for infection prevention in leukopenic patients.