The effect of antibiotics on the function of the phagocytic system.

The present paper reviews the effect of various antibiotics (ATB) on the cells of the phagocytic system. The first part deals with an indirect mechanism of action of ATB, i.e. with changes induced in the bacterial cell which in turn renders these bacteria susceptible to phagocytosis. In the second part, the direct effect of ATB on phagocytic cells is discussed: binding of ATB to phagocytes, penetration into the cell, change in chemotactic (migratory) activity, effects on ingestion of particles, intracellular killing of bacteria and on phagocytosis-associated metabolic changes (e.g. chemiluminescence).