Investigation of preventive and therapeutic effects of medical ozone in rats with acute osteomyelitis was aimed in this study. Staphylococcus aureus solution was injected intramedullary into right femurs of each animal to form acute osteomyelitis. Preventive Osteomyelitis Group (POG) was taken an ozone session by rectal insufflation daily at a dose of 500 µg/kg for 15 days with an ozone generator starting a week before microorganism injections, whereas applied nothing to Untreated Osteomyelitis Group (UOG). Treatment Osteomyelitis Group (TOG) was administered the same ozone therapy sessions as POG. But this application was started just after 4 days following the microorganism injection. At the end of the ozone-therapy, two femurs of each animal in 3 groups were excised and examined radiographically, microbiologically and histopathologically. It was found that radiographical differences between UOG and other two osteomyelitis groups were significant, but those between POG and TOG were insignificant. There was not any microbiological reproduction in conventional culture methods. Histopathologically; mild, moderate and severe inflammation findings in the POG, TOG and UOG were observed respectively. Histopathological healing was significant in TOG compared to UOG, and it was significant in POG compared to TOG. Conclusively, it was thought that preventive and curative effects of medical ozone in rats exposed to experimental osteomyelitis had been found.

Key words: Femur, Medical Ozone, Osteomyelitis, Rat, Rectal Insufflation, Therapy