Effect of 24 antimicrobial drugs on polymorphonuclear leukocyte adherence.

The effects of 24 antimicrobial agents on the adherence of human neutrophils to nylon fibre microcolumns were studied. Neutrophil adherence was found to be remarkably resistant to antimicrobial agents. No effect was observed with penicillin G, nafcillin, cephalothin, vancomycin, bacitracin, tetracycline, minocycline, doxycycline, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, lincomycin, neomycin, streptomycin, acetylspiramycin, 5-fluorocytosine, sulfisoxazole, tinidazole and primaquine. Only 2 enhanced adherence - oxytetracycline and rifampicin - and only 4 suppressed adherence - colistin, polymyxin B, quinine, chloroquine - and then only at high concentrations.