Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023241 (Legionella)
 6,990 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Macrolides are active against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Legionella spp. and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, the main causes of community-acquired pneumonia They may therefore be used for the empirical treatment of community-acquired pneumonia, although emergent resistance in Str. pneumoniae limits their use in some parts of the world. In patients with bronchitis the use of macrolides reduces the severity and duration of symptoms. Macrolides have also been used successfully in the treatment of otitis media and sinusitis; combination with sulphonamides may be desirable. They may be effective in eradicating the carrier state of Str. pyogenes, Bordetella pertussis, Corynebacterium diptheriae, and Neisseria meningitidis. Macrolides provide alternative therapy for the prophylaxis of recurrent acute rheumatic fever and of infective endocarditis after dental treatment. The cure rate with macrolides of streptococcal skin infections and of minor staphylococcal infections is equal to that achieved with penicillins. In diarrhoea due to Campylobacter jejuni, the administration of macrolides shortens the duration of the faecal excretion of organisms and may give clinical improvement in severe disease. Macrolides are the drugs of choice for infections due to Chlamydia trachomatis in pregnancy and for Haemophilus ducreyi infections. They are effective alternative therapy to benzylpenicillin for the treatment of N. gonorrhoeae and Treponema pallidum infections.
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PMID:The clinical use of macrolides. 305 68

The tetracyclines are active in vitro against many urinary tract pathogens such as Chlamydia, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Brucella, rickettsiae, and Nocardia. Chloramphenicol is used primarily for anaerobic infections, Haemophilus influenzae meningitis, and infections due to Salmonella typhi. Erythromycin is active in vitro against M. pneumoniae, Legionella spp., Streptococcus pneumoniae, and group A beta-hemolytic streptococci; it may also be used as prophylactic therapy for subacute bacterial endocarditis and for recurrence of acute rheumatic fever in patients who are allergic to penicillin. Clindamycin should be used primarily for the treatment of anaerobic infections. The tetracyclines may cause gastrointestinal upset; phototoxic dermatitis; hepatitis, especially in pregnant women; discoloration of the teeth and bone dysplasia in the human fetus and in children; and superinfections, especially oral and anogenital candidiasis. The tetracyclines should be used with caution in patients with renal insufficiency. The most important toxic effect of chloramphenicol is bone marrow suppression, which is dose related or idiosyncratic. The incidence of undesirable side effects associated with the use of erythromycin is low; gastrointestinal irritation is the most common, and cholestatic hepatitis may occur with the use of erythromycin estolate. Pseudomembranous colitis is the most important toxic effect associated with the use of clindamycin.
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PMID:Tetracyclines, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and clindamycin. 682 63

Erythromycin and other macrolides have enjoyed a renaissance in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s secondary to the discovery of "new' pathogens such as Chlamydia, Legionella, Campylobacter and Mycoplasma spp. Erythromycin is an important therapeutic agent in the paediatric age group for several reasons: (a) it exhibits proven efficacy for a wide range of infections (upper and lower respiratory tract infections, skin/skin structure infections, prophylaxis of endocarditis/acute rheumatic fever/ophthalmia neonatorum and pre-colonic surgery, campylobacteriosis, chlamydial and ureaplasmal infections, diphtheria, whooping cough, streptococcal pharyngitis) and gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotility states; (b) intravenous formulations are widely available; and (c) it is available in a number of formulations as a generic product, which is likely to result in significant cost savings. Nevertheless, erythromycin and similar earlier macrolides are characterised by a number of drawbacks including a narrow spectrum of antimicrobial activity, unfavourable pharmacokinetic properties and poor GI tolerability. Newer macrolides such as clarithromycin and azithromycin are useful in serving the needs of paediatric patients who are erythromycin-intolerant or who have infections caused by organisms that are intrinsically erythromycin-resistant, or for which a high percentage of strains are resistant (e.g. Haemophilus influenzae, Helicobacter pylori, Mycobacterium avium complex). In addition, these newer macrolides may be considered as alternatives to oral amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, second or third generation cephalosporins, or erythromycin plus sulphonamide in this patient population. Selection between specific macrolides and between macrolides and other antibiotics in the paediatric population is likely to depend, at least for the immediate future, on separate comparisons of product availability, cost, effectiveness and tolerability profiles.
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PMID:Macrolide antibiotics in paediatric infectious diseases. 870 92

Erythromycin, the prototypical macrolide, has been widely used since the 1950s in the management of pediatric infections. Erythromycin is the drug of choice for infants and children with Legionnaire's disease, pertussis, diphtheria, lower respiratory tract infections caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis and enteritis caused by Campylobacter jejuni. It is also indicated for treatment of syphilis; for streptococcal, staphylococcal and pneumococcal infections; genital infections caused by Ureaplasma urealyticum; and for the prevention of rheumatic fever and endocarditis in patients who are allergic to beta-lactam antibiotics. The new macrolides azithromycin and clarithromycin are also active against Borrelia burgdorferi, Helicobacter pylori, Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex, Cryptosporidium spp. and Toxoplasma gondii. Erythromycin is associated with a low risk of serious side effects, although gastric distress occurs in a significant proportion of patients. Drug interactions with theophylline, carbamazepine, warfarin, cyclosporine, terfenadine and digoxin limit erythromycin use. The newer macrolides azithromycin and clarithromycin are more stable, better absorbed and better tolerated than erythromycin. Azithromycin is more active than erythromycin against Haemophilus influenzae. Excellent tissue and intracellular penetration may contribute to their clinical efficacy. In children both azithromycin and clarithromycin are indicated for acute otitis media caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, H. influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis and for pharyngitis/tonsillitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. (As of December, 1996, azithromycin for oral suspension was approved for community-acquired pneumonia in children caused by C. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, M. pneumoniae and S. pneumoniae.) Claritromycin is also indicated for acute maxillary sinusitis, uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections, pneumonia and disseminated mycobacterial infections. Azithromycin and clarithromycin are associated with a lower incidence of gastrointestinal side effects, a low rate of drug discontinuation caused by side effects and a low potential for interaction with other drugs.
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PMID:History of macrolide use in pediatrics. 910 54