title: Comparison of erythromycin estolate and erythromycin ethylsuccinate for treatment of pertussis. The Erythromycin Study Group.
abstract: In an open randomized multicenter study 190 culture-positive pediatric ambulatory pertussis patients were treated for 14 days with either erythromycin estolate (EST) (n = 93; 40 mg/kg/day divided in 2 doses) or erythromycin ethylsuccinate (ETH) (n = 97; 60 mg/kg/day divided in 3 doses). On day 14 Bordetella pertussis was recovered from cultures of 2 patients (2.2%) treated with EST and 1 patient (1.0%) treated with ETH. Despite the fact that 151 patients (79.4%) had reached the early paroxysmal stage at initiation of antimicrobial therapy, clinical improvement was seen in the majority (reduced frequency and severity of coughing: EST, 77.4 and 67.7%; ETH, 74.2 and 63.9%, respectively). Drug-related side effects were noted in 11 patients (11.8%) treated with EST and 16 patients (16.5%) treated with ETH (P greater than 0.05) and consisted mainly of minor gastrointestinal complaints. Erythromycin estolate in a lower dose administered only twice a day was equivalent to erythromycin ethylsuccinate in all aspects and proved to be adequate antimicrobial treatment for pertussis patients.
authors.affiliation: University Children's Hospital, Eberhard Karl University, Tübingen, West Germany.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hoppe
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004918:Erythromycin Estolate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015643:Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D015643:Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate; D004918:Erythromycin Estolate