Abstract
A prospective, open, noncomparative study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of azithromycin given once daily for 3 or 5 days to eradicate Bordetella pertussis from the upper respiratory tract of infants and young children. Seventeen children received azithromycin in a dose of 10 mg/kg on day 1 followed by 5 mg/kg once daily for four consecutive days, and 20 were given 10 mg/kg once daily for 3 days. Seven days after the initiation of therapy, 33 of 35 (94.3%) patients had negative cultures for Bordetella pertussis. On day 14, cultures from all 34 evaluable patients were negative. These findings suggest that a controlled, comparative study of erythromycin versus short-term administration of azithromycin is justified.
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Baće, A., Zrnić, T., Begovac, J. et al. Short-Term Treatment of Pertussis with Azithromycin in Infants and Young Children. EJCMID 18, 296–298 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s100960050281
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100960050281