KHAN WA, SAHA D, RAHMAN A, SALAM MA, BENNISH ML; Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Abstr Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2000 Sep 17-20; 40: 497.
Intl. Ctr. for Diarrhoeal Disease Res., Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
BACKGROUND: Effective single-dose antibiotic therapy has been identified for adults with cholera; no such therapy has previously been identified in children.METHODS: We compared a single 20 mg/kg dose (maximum 1 gm) of azithromycin with 12 doses of erythromycin (12.5 mg/kg q 6 h for 3 d, maximum dose 500 mg) in children 1-15 y infected with V. cholerae O1 or O139, diarrhea duration /=20 ml/kg body weight during a 4 h observation period). Children remained in hospital for 5 d, stool volume was measured every 6 h, and a stool culture obtained daily. Therapy clinically failed if patients had watery stools after study day 2, and bacteriologically failed if V. cholerae O1 or O139 was isolated after study day 2.RESULTS: 128 patients were enrolled in the study. 4 withdrew before assessment of outcome was possible, and 1 culture did not yield V. cholerae O1 or O139. All 123 evaluable patients were infected with strains susceptible to both study drugs. Therapy was clinically successful in 48 (76%) of 63 azithromycin, and 39 (65%) of 60 erythromycin-treated patients (difference 11%, 95% CI of difference -5% to 27%, P=0.24). Azithromycin-treated patients had a shorter median duration of diarrhea (24 vs. 42 h; P=0.02) and fewer median episodes of vomiting (1 vs. 4; P=0.02) than did erythromycin-treated patients; differences in median total stool volume (133 vs. 186 ml/kg) approached significance (P=0.06). Bacteriologic failure occurred in 18 azithromycin (29%) and 11 (18%) erythromycin- treated patients (difference 10%, 95% CI -5% to 25%, P=0.26). Conclusion: Single-dose azithromycin was clinically equivalent (and in some measures superior) to multiple-dose erythromycin in children with severe cholera.KEYWORDS: Azithromycin; Children; Cholera
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Adult
- Azithromycin
- Blindness
- Child
- Cholera
- Cholera Vaccines
- Clinical Trials as Topic
- Dehydration
- Diarrhea
- Double-Blind Method
- Erythromycin
- Feces
- Humans
- Vibrio cholerae
- therapy
Other ID:
UI: 102247408
From Meeting Abstracts