Intracellular bactericidal effects of rifampicin in both normal and chronic granulomatous disease polymorphs

Abstract

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) polymorphs incubated with rifampicin before or after staphylococcal phagocytosis inactivated the bacteria. Lysates of normal polymorphs incubated with rifampicin inactivated bacteria. These effects were not due to damage to the polymorphs. Polymorph lysates of rifampicin-treated CGD patients and healthy subjects inactivated bacteria, but the polymorphs of rifampicin-treated CGD patients did not kill the bacteria in vitro. The role of rifampicin in the treatment of CGD patients and of other patients with intracellular infections is discussed.