The effect of various antibiotics on the labelling efficiency of human white blood cells with 111In-oxine.

Earlier clinical studies revealed that in patients suffering from chronic osteomyelitis (n = 10) undergoing antibiotic therapy the white blood cell scanning missed the right diagnosis in 40% of cases, whereas all the acute untreated cases (n = 6) were imaged correctly. Thus, it was suspected that an impaired labelling efficiency and white blood cell function might have been causative. Retrospective analysis of labelling efficiency exhibited no difference between patients on antibiotics (n = 12) and those not on antibiotics (n = 29). Prospective cellular viability testing in 81 patients, 71 of whom were on various antibiotics, using latex particles (phagocytosis) and the Trypan blue exclusion test, did not reveal any different function behaviour either. Examining the labelling efficiency (after 111In-oxine and 111In-oxine-sulphate labelling), recovery, half-life and viability of white blood cells of 107 patients undergoing therapy with various antibodies as compared to controls, it becomes evident that the antibiotic therapy is not causative of the clinical difference observed.