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)

In most cases of respiratory tract infection, antibiotic therapy has to be initiated before the results of microbiological examination are available. The four most common pathogens of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis are pneumococci, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis and Staphylococcus aureus. Pneumococci are the predominant pathogens of community-acquired pneumonia, followed by H. influenzae and staphylococci. Legionella, mycoplasma and chlamydia vary in frequency according to the population studied. Staphylococci, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter and Klebsiella spp. as well as H. influenzae are the major pathogens of secondary pneumonia. For reasons of cost and environmental problems, oral antibiotics ought to be used whenever possible considering the severity of the infection and patient circumstance. Parenteral antibiotics are indicated in severe infections in order to provide high therapeutic drug levels. Second generation cephalosporins are appropriate for initial therapy of lower respiratory tract infections. In case of severe infection, cephalosporins should be combined with an aminoglycoside, ureidopenicillin or quinolone. Cefuroxime has shown good clinical efficacy and tolerance in lower respiratory tract infections.
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PMID:[Parenteral cephalosporins for the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections]. 831 90

Cefuroxime has been recommended as a component of treatment for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in guidelines produced by several groups, including the US and British Thoracic Societies. It is effective in vitro against the major bacterial pathogens in CAP but it needs to be given with an agent that is active against Mycoplasma, Chlamydia or Legionella spp. if the presence of any of these organisms is suspected. Cefuroxime penetrates respiratory tissue effectively after either parenteral or oral administration, and it has a pharmacodynamic profile which suggests that adequate cover can be achieved with oral therapy for respiratory pathogens susceptible to cefuroxime concentrations of 4 mg/L or less. This break-point is applicable to oral monotherapy and to sequential therapy regimens for the treatment of pneumonia. Cefuroxime can be used either orally or parenterally and it is approved in many countries for the treatment of adult pneumonia by either route. The oral form, cefuroxime axetil, has been used extensively in the treatment of children aged over 3 months but its use in paediatric pneumonia has not been reviewed. The present review summarises clinical experience in the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, of varying severity, in children. The data show that children with severe pneumonia, including those with pleural effusion or complications, can be treated with a full course of intravenous cefuroxime therapy, whereas hospitalised children whose pneumonia stabilises rapidly after initial intravenous therapy can change to oral cefuroxime axetil after 24 to 72 hours and may be able to return home. Oral cefuroxime axetil was appropriate for patients with milder pneumonia managed either in hospital or at home.
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PMID:Clinical use of cefuroxime in paediatric community-acquired pneumonia. 1102 95