Effect of erythromycin and amoxycillin on Bordetella pertussis in the nasopharynx.

The effectiveness of oral erythromycin and amoxycillin in eradicating Bordetella pertussis from the nasopharynx was compared. Erythromycin in a dosage of 40--50 mg/kg/day was significantly more effective than amoxycillin in a dosage of 25--30 mg/kg/day. The organism did not disappear in three cases receiving a lower dosage of erythromycin. As antibiotic treatment does not affect the clinical course of fully-developed whooping cough, erythromycin is indicated primarily when particularly susceptible individuals are threatened by exposure. In such cases erythromycin should be given as soon as whooping cough is suspected.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes