WHICH ANTIBIOTIC IS BETTER FOR THE TREATMENT OF INFECTIONS OF THE LOWER RESPIRATORY-TRACT (REPRINTED FROM KLINIK ARZT, VOL 7, PG 3-8, 1990)

The efficacy and tolerance of mezlocillin and ampicillin/sulbactam wer e investigated in an open, comparative, multicentre study involving 96 patients. The high levels of efficacy of both ampicillin/sulbactam an d mezlocillin, as previously documented in comprehensive in vitro stud ies, were confirmed with regard to the wide range of pathogens examine d in this study. Both therapies were also associated with high clinica l success rates and were well tolerated. It is worth noting that the l arger number of patients suffering from chronically obstructive bronch itis apparently had no negative effects on the clinical results of the ampicillin/sulbactam therapy. In cases of nosocomial respiratory trac t infections, especially those with a high incidence of beta-lactamase -producing organisms, a combination including beta-lactamase inhibitor s may be expected to be superior to any of the ureido penicillins. The present study demonstrates that in cases of community acquired infect ions of the lower respiratory tract, treatment with ampicillin/sulbact am can be regarded as a suitable therapeutic alternative to mezlocilli n, combining high efficacy and tolerance.