title: Role of sultamicillin and ampicillin/sulbactam in the treatment of upper and lower bacterial respiratory tract infections.
abstract: The emergence of beta-lactamase-mediated resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics among key respiratory tract pathogens has threatened the usefulness of the beta-lactam agents familiar to physicians as being clinically effective and well tolerated. This article reassesses the clinical usefulness of ampicillin when administered in combination with the beta-lactamase inhibitor sulbactam, either intravenously or orally (as the mutual prodrug sultamicillin), in the treatment of upper and lower respiratory tract infections. Numerous clinical studies and several meta-analyses indicate that ampicillin/sulbactam and sultamicillin are clinically effective and well tolerated in both adults and children, in agreement with published North American and European guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Pneumologie I (Infektiologie and Immunologie), Lungenklinik Heckeshorn, Zum Heckeshorn 33, 14109 Berlin, Germany. haloheck@zedat.fu-berlin.de
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lode
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000667:Ampicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D010406:Penicillins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013407:Sulbactam / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010406:Penicillins; C035444:sultamicillin; D000667:Ampicillin; D013407:Sulbactam