title: Erythromycin compared with a combination of ampicillin plus flucloxacillin for the treatment of community acquired pneumonia in adults.
abstract: Erythromycin was compared with a combination of ampicillin plus flucloxacillin for treating adults admitted to hospital with community acquired pneumonia. A satisfactory clinical response to a seven day course of antibiotics was observed in 29 of 36 patients (81%) in the erythromycin group and 35 of 39 patients (90%) treated with ampicillin plus flucloxacillin, as judged by a fall in temperature, improvement in the general condition, diminution of respiratory symptoms and radiographic improvement. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the causative organism most commonly detected and a satisfactory outcome of treatment of diagnosed pneumococcal pneumonia cases was observed in 16 of 18 patients (89%) treated with erythromycin compared with 20 of 22 patients (91%) treated with ampicillin plus flucloxacillin. These results indicate that erythromycin has similar clinical efficacy to ampicillin plus flucloxacillin, given as a seven day course, for the treatment of community acquired pneumonia in adults.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000667:Ampicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003023:Cloxacillin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005436:Floxacillin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D005436:Floxacillin; D004917:Erythromycin; D000667:Ampicillin; D003023:Cloxacillin