Length of antibiotic therapy in in-patients with primary pneumonias.

Seventy-three subjects with primary pneumonia in a hospital in Northern Nigeria were given antibiotics until they had been afebrile for 24 hours. The average duration of therapy was 2.54 days (about 60 hours), which is considerably shorter than the current recommended practice. Subjects with hepatosplenomegalic schistosomiasis and tropical splenomegaly syndrome required antibiotics for a significantly longer period (3.75 days) than those without either of these conditions. Those with an antigenaemia did not require antibiotics for a significantly longer period than those without an antigenaemia. There were no deaths, no increase in morbidity and in virtually all cases complete resolution of the lung lesion occurred within the expected time. It is suggested that in primary pneumonia it is more rational to stop antibiotics after the patient has been afebrile for 24 hours. This leads to a shorter stay in hospital and to the use of less antibiotic.