Adjuvant glycerol is not beneficial in experimental pneumococcal meningitis

Background: Bacterial meningitis in children causes high rates of
mortality and morbidity. In a recent clinical trial, oral glycerol
significantly reduced severe neurological sequelae in paediatric
meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b, and a tendency
towards a benefit of adjunctive glycerol was seen in pneumococcal
meningitis. Methods: Here we examined the effects of glycerol in
pneumococcal meningitis of infant rats and adult mice. All animals
received ceftriaxone, and glycerol or placebo. Brain damage,
hearing loss, and inflammatory parameters were assessed. Results:
Clinically and by histopathology, animals treated with glycerol or
placebo did not differ. While both groups showed equally high
levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 at 24 h after infection, a
significant difference in favour of glycerol was observed at 40 h
after infection. However, this difference in matrix
metalloproteinase-9 in late disease did not result in an
improvement of histopathologic parameters. Conclusion: No benefit
of adjunctive glycerol was found in these models of pneumococcal
meningitis.