Effect of antibiotics on polymorphonuclear function in iron deficiency anaemia patients & normal volunteers.

The effect of erythromycin and gentamicin on polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) functions was assessed in normal individuals and in patients with iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) before and after treatment with iron. The PMN phagocytic function was investigated by the standard method. Erythromycin in vivo significantly increased the PMN phagocytic function from 44.18 +/- 2.08 to 57.0 +/- 1.5 at 8 h and the bactericidal activity from 48.33 +/- 1.97 to 56.7 +/- 0.89 at 8 h in the normal adult male volunteers. A significant increase in phagocytic and bactericidal function of PMNs from IDA patients was also observed after in vivo administration of erythromycin. Gentamicin in vitro reduced the bactericidal activity of PMN from normal volunteers (P less than 0.05) but increased the PMN phagocytic activity in normal volunteers and IDA patients.