Macrolides as Immunomodulatory Agents in Sepsis?

Clarithromycin appears to ameliorate sepsis-associated immunoparalysis and to improve outcomes in patients with gram-negative sepsis and ventilator-associated pneumonia.

The beneficial effects of adjunctive macrolide therapy together with a β-lactam for preventing exacerbations in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and for treating patients with community-acquired pneumonia and even bacteremia or sepsis are well documented (JW Infect Dis Feb 28 2007). These effects are believed to stem from the macrolides' immunomodulatory properties rather than from their antimicrobial activity. However, which immunologic parameters are altered has remained unclear.

In a recent study supported by a manufacturer of clarithromycin, researchers examined inflammatory markers in blood samples that had been collected from 200 patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and gram-negative sepsis duri…

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection