title: Potential effects of amoxycillin/clavulanic acid and ticarcillin/clavulanic acid on human granulocyte activity: a comparative study.
abstract: The efficacy of an antimicrobial agent in the therapy of infection depends upon the interaction of bacteria, antibiotic and phagocytes. The influence of both ticarcillin/clavulanic acid and amoxycillin/clavulanic acid on the phagocytic and bactericidal activity of human PMNs in vitro was investigated. The results show that clavulanic acid, with its beta-lactamase inhibitory properties, potentiated the efficacy of both ticarcillin and amoxycillin, resulting in a significantly increased susceptibility of a beta-lactamase producing strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae to phagocytic and microbicidal activities of human PMNs. Overall, amoxycillin/clavulanic acid showed greater enhancement of the killing of K. pneumoniae by human PMNs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, University of Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cuffini
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tullio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paizis
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Carlone
mesh_terms: D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019818:Clavulanic Acid; D002969:Clavulanic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D013982:Ticarcillin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002969:Clavulanic Acids; D019818:Clavulanic Acid; D000658:Amoxicillin; D013982:Ticarcillin