Effect of Ciprofloxacin on Killing of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans by Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, a pathogen associated with aggressive periodontitis, resists phagocytic killing by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). It is susceptible to ciprofloxacin, which PMNs actively accumulate. This study tested the hypothesis that ciprofloxacin-loaded PMNs are more effective at killing A. actinomycetemcomitans than control PMNs. Isolated human PMNs were loaded by brief incubation with 0.5 μg of ciprofloxacin/ml. Opsonized bacteria (ATCC 43718) were incubated at 37°C with control and ciprofloxacin-loaded PMNs and in the presence and absence of 0.5 μg of ciprofloxacin/ml. When assayed at bacteria-to-PMN ratios of 30:1 and 90:1, ciprofloxacin-loaded PMNs killed significantly more bacteria and achieved significantly shorter half times for killing than control PMNs (P < 0.05; Tukey's test). At ratios of 3:1 and 10:1, these differences were not significant.