Contribution of pristinamycin in the treatment of adult acute sinusitis outpatients

Two main germs: The risk of severe complications of acute bacterial sinusit is. warrants empirical antibiotic therapy targeted against the two main cau sal agents. S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae. Pristinamycin vs cefuroxime axetil: A double-blind placebo-controlled rando mized multicentric study conducted with two treatment arms including 310 pa tients has demonstrated that pristinamycin, 2 g/d for 8 days, has a clinica l efficacy equivalent to cefuroxime axetil, 500 mg/d. In clinical practice: Pristinamycin is an interesting alternative to beta-l actams for the first intention treatment of purulent acute sinusitis in adu lts. Its efficacy against penicillin-resistant pneumococci and H. influenza e is a further reason for its use in case of failure after conventional tre atments.