Effect of sodium polyanetholesulfonate on antimicrobial systems in blood.

Sodium polyanetholesulfonate (SPS), an anticoagulant which inhibits the antimicrobial systems of blood, is used widely in blood culture media. The addition of SPS to experimental blood cultures inoculated with small numbers of a variety of organisms caused a striking increase in recovery of these organisms. Sodium fluoride also increased the incidence of positive blood cultures with some organisms. SPS completely inhibited serum antibacterial activity and serum-dependent phagocytosis (and killing) by isolated leukocytes at a concentration usually employed in blood culture media. SPS also stimulated both glucose C-1 oxidation in resting leukocytes and formate oxidation in both resting and phagocytosing leukocytes in serum-free systems. These in vitro studies support the concept that SPS is a useful additive to blood culture media and further elaborate on the mechanism of its inhibition of the microbicidal activity of blood.