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Therapeutic concentrations (0.3-1.5 mg/l) of pentamidine isethionate and pentamidine mesylate, obtained after parenteral administration of the drugs, did not influence neutrophilic granulocyte adherence, random and chemotactic migration or phagocytosis of Candida albicans spores in vitro. At concentrations of 0.7, 1.1 and 1.5 mg/l, the ability of neutrophilic granulocytes to kill C. albicans spores was depressed (P less than 0.001); at all concentrations used, their ability to reduce nitroblue tetrazolium was decreased (P less than 0.001). There was no significant difference between the drugs with regard to these impairments in neutrophilic granulocyte function. It is likely that pentamidine salts inhibit superoxide radical formation in the stimulated neutrophilic granulocyte and that this dysfunction leads to depressed intracellular killing of C. albicans spores.