Cefprozil and respiratory tract infections in children.

Respiratory tract infections are the leading cause of children's visits to physicians. Antibiotic resistance is increasing among the three most common bacterial respiratory pathogens, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis, which cause acute otitis media and sinusitis. Therefore clinicians may need to reexamine their treatment strategies because these infections may cause complications. Antibiotic selection in such infections should take into account local bacterial resistance patterns, anticipated clinical efficacy against S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis, including penicillin-resistant and beta-lactamase-producing strains, as well as the safety profile and compliance-enhancing features of the drug.