Modification of acquired immunity in mice by imipenem/cilastatin

The immunomodulating properties of antimicrobial drugs may have important i mplications for clinical practice, particularly for those patients whose im mune system has been compromised. In this study, we assessed the influence of different treatments with a beta-lactam antibiotic (imipenem/cilastatin) on several acquired immune responses of BALB/c mice; splenocyte responses to specific mitogens and to sheep red blood cells, IL-2 production and prop ortions of the different lympho-monocytic populations. Impenem/cilastatin w as shown to modify some lymphocyte-associated immune functions and it would be useful to investigate whether immunomodulatory effects also occur in hu mans.