Loading...
Children admitted with community-acquired pneumonia are treated empirically with antibiotics, as the causative organism is rarely identified. Beta-lactam antibiotics are recommended to cover common bacterial pathogens, specifically Streptococcus pneumoniae but have no activity against atypical bacteria such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae.
To compare the effectiveness of beta-lactam monotherapy and beta-lactam combined with a macrolide in this setting, investigators prospectively assessed outcomes of over 1400 children admitted with radiographically confirmed pneumonia at three U.S. children's hospitals. Approximately 70% received beta-lactam monotherapy and 30% a beta-lactam–macrolide combination. In 74% of children, a…