Antibiotic binding by leukocytes from brucellosis patients

: Antibiotic binding by leukocytes from patients with chronic brucellosis was studied in vitro. The pathogens were located intracellularly. The specimens were collected during the disease aggravation prior to the treatment and at the beginning of the remission after the routine therapy. It was found that during the disease aggravation at the intoxication peak and accumulation of a large number of Brucella in the cells binding of methacycline, rifampicin and gentamicin somewhat increased. After completion of the treatment course when the number of Brucella in the leukocytes markedly lowered, up to disappearance, the antibiotic binding decreased and reached the control figures. Penetration of erythromycin into the cells infected with Brucella lowered at the disease peak and remained at that level with an insignificant tendency to normalization at the beginning of the clinical remission after the treatment. The facts suggested that intracellular localization of the bacteria would change the quantitative characteristics of interaction of the cells, i.e. human leukocytes with antibacterial chemotherapeutic agents. The direction of the shifts must depend on the particular proportion of various types of mechanisms for penetration of drugs into the intracellular medium.