Therapeutic effect of clarithromycin for respiratory-tract infections in children caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae

Children infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae sometimes experience lower resp iratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Although numerou s anti-microbial compounds have been reported to be active against the orga nism, most of them have not been in a clinical trial in infants and childre n with C. pneumoniae infection. Clarithromycin has been shown to express an ti-chlamydial effects in vitro. In this study, we evaluated the clinical an ti-C. pneumoniae properties of clarithromycin in children with mainly lower respiratory tract infection. We administered clarithromycin orally to 21 i nfants and children at a dose of 10-15 mg/kg/day divided into two or three doses for 4-21 days. Clinical symptoms, roentgenographic and laboratory abn ormal findings improved. The overall clinical efficacy rate was 85.7% (18 o f 21 cases). Administration of clarithromycin was considered to be a suitab le treatment for improving lower respiratory infections in infants and chil dren caused by C. pneumoniae. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. and Internatio nal Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.