title: Comparative efficacy of pivmecillinam and cotrimoxazole in acute shigellosis in children.
abstract: In a prospective randomized double-blind trial, pivmecillinam was compared with cotrimoxazole (TMP-SMX), both given orally for a period of 5 days, for the treatment of 59 children with shigellosis. 29 patients were treated with pivmecillinam and 30 with cotrimoxazole. 14% of shigella organisms isolated were resistant to pivmecillinam and 21% to TMP-SMX. The diarrhea persisted for a mean (+/- SD) period of 74 +/- 24.8 h in the pivmecillinam-treated patients versus 73.8 +/- 34 h in the TMP-SMX-treated patients. Duration of fever, positive stool culture, visible blood, occult blood, and pus cells in the stools were similar for both treatment groups. Five patients (17%) in the pivmecillinam group and 4 patients (13%) in the cotrimoxazole group fulfilled the clinical criteria that defined treatment failure. One patient (3.4%) in the pivmecillinam group and 2 (6.6%) in the TMP-SMX group evidenced recurrence of the diarrheal symptoms at the follow-up visit. No major drug-related side effects were observed in either group. We concluded that pivmecillinam is equivalent to cotrimoxazole in the treatment of shigellosis in children.
authors.affiliation: Hospital General San Juan de Dios, Guatemala.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prado
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Velasquez
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Cleary
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000561:Amdinocillin Pivoxil / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012760:Shigella / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000561:Amdinocillin Pivoxil; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination