Conclusion
In recent years, a growing number of investigations have widened our understanding of the activity of antibiotics against microorganisms ingested by phagocytes. For the clinician, the most useful conclusion derived from these studies is that the serum pharmacokinetics of antibiotics are not necessarily good predictors of antibiotic activity in the patient. The newer macrolides (roxithromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin) clearly illustrate this: they are clinically active against susceptible intracellular pathogens, they do not dispaly impressive serum levels, but they accumulate dramatically in phagocytes. Nevertheless, we are far from having a clear picture of phagocyte-microorganism-antibiotic interactions and an empiric approach remains necessary in the management of intracellular infections.
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Pechère, J.C. Phagocytes, antibiotics and intracellular parasites: Are the experimental data clinically relevant?. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 10, 97–99 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01964419
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01964419