Comparative effects of roxithromycin and erythromycin on cellular immune functions in vitro. 3. Killing of intracellular Staphylococcus aureus by human macrophages.

The in vitro effect of roxithromycin on the bactericidal activity of human macrophages was compared with that of erythromycin. At a concentration of half the MIC roxithromycin showed a much more impressive killing capacity on macrophage-ingested live Staphylococcus aureus than did erythromycin, under all the experimental conditions used.