Cefonicid 'restores' the depressed activities of polymorphonuclear cells from chronic haemodialysis patients and renal transplant recipients in vitro.
BACKGROUND
Chronic haemodialysis patients and renal transplant recipients are highly susceptible to infection characterized by high morbidity and mortality and related to an impairment of the phagocytic response.


METHODS
In order to elucidate how cefonicid, a cephalosporin with a broad spectrum of activity and once-daily dosage, influences this phagocytic response, the effects of the drug upon the functions of human PMNs from both healthy individuals and immunocompromised patients were investigated.


RESULTS
In vitro, PMNs from haemodialysed patients and renal transplant recipients showed a diminished phagocytic efficiency with reduced phagocytosis and bactericidal activity towards intracellular Klebsiella pneumoniae when compared with that seen in PMNs from healthy subjects. Cefonicid significantly affected the activity of PMNs from healthy volunteers, resulting in either an increased percentage of ingested klebsiellae or a reduced intracellular bacterial load when compared with the control, drug-free system. When cefonicid was added to PMNs from uraemic patients a pattern similar to that observed with phagocytes from healthy subjects was detected: the antibiotic was able to 'restore' the depressed primary functions of PMNs, resulting in a significant increase in both phagocytosis and killing activity.


CONCLUSIONS
Cefonicid, with its several immunoproperties observed in this study, possesses interesting beneficial properties which make it suitable for the treatment of infections in patients with impaired components of the immune system.
Department of Public Health and Microbiology, University of Turin, Italy.
V
V
Tullio
A M
AM
Cuffini
A
A
Bonino
F
F
Giacchino
C
C
Merlino
G M
GM
Bosticardo
G
G
Paizis
N A
NA
Carlone
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity / Q000502:physiology; D015790:Cefonicid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host / Q000502:physiology; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D013997:Time Factors
D002511:Cephalosporins; D015790:Cefonicid