Prophylactic Antibiotics May Prevent Measles Complications

West African measles patients treated with co-trimoxazole had less pneumonia and more weight gain than those treated with placebo.

Measles remains a leading killer among vaccine-preventable diseases worldwide. To evaluate whether prophylactic antibiotics prevent the disease’s complications, researchers conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind study in West Africa. Eighty-four stable measles patients aged 2 months or older (median age, 5.4 years; range, 0.5 to 24.8 years) received co-trimoxazole or placebo for 7 days.

Only 1 of 46 antibiotic-treated patients developed pneumonia, compared with 6 of 38 placebo-treated patients (odds ratio, 0.08; number needed to treat, 7). Patients in the antibiotic group gained significantly more weight during the first month (mean weight gain, 32 vs. 15 grams per day) and were significantly less likely to develop con…

Reviewing Author

Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP