Valutazione clinico-microbiologica della josamicina nella terapia delle infezioni acute O.R.L.

Josamycin is a new macrolide antibiotic, which does not induce cross-resistance with other drugs of the same class. Its wide spectrum encloses the most common pathogens of the upper airways. A clinical and microbiological study was undertaken on 36 patients (mean age 14.4 years) to evaluate josamycin efficacy in the treatment of acute ENT infections. The cases treated included 16 acute tonsillitis, 11 acute suppurative otitis media and 9 acute rhinitis or rhinopharyngitis. In all cases a swab culture was obtained prior to the beginning of therapy and 3 to 7 days after the last administration of josamycin. The antibiotic was given in a daily dosage of 40 to 50 mg/kg b.w. to children and 2 g to adults, divided in 2 administrations. The mean duration of therapy was 7.3 days. In the course of this clinical trial most (59.3%) of the 32 bacteria isolated by pre-treatment swab culture were penicillin resistant; the overall sensitivity to josamycin was 90.6%. Duration of fever was 3 days or less in 85% of the patients and by the 5th day the objective signs of infection had disappeared in 95% of cases. From the clinical point of view 34 (94.5%) of the 36 patients were cured. The drug was well tolerated in all of the cases.