Search results for " azithromycin"
showing 3 items of 3 documents
Epidemiology and clinical features of Mediterranean spotted fever in Italy
2006
Mediterranean Spotted Fever is caused by Rickettsia conorii and is transmitted to humans by Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the common dog tick. It is characterized by the symptomatologic triad: fever, exanthema and "tache noire", the typical eschar at the site of the tick bite. In Italy the most affected region is Sicily. The seasonal peak of the disease (from June through September) occurs during maximal activity of immature stage ticks. Severe forms of the disease have been reported in 6% of patients, especially adults with one of the following conditions: diabetes, cardiac disease, chronic alcoholism, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, end stage kidney disease. The mortality rate m…
Clarithromycin Versus Azithromycin in the Treatment of Mediterranean Spotted Fever in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial
2002
We conducted an open-label randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy and safety of clarithromycin (15/mg/kg/day in 2 divided doses for 7 days) with those of azithromycin (10 mg/kg/day in 1 dose for 3 days) in the treatment of children with Mediterranean spotted fever. Until now, there has not been a gold-standard therapy for this rickettsial disease in children. Eighty-seven children were randomized to receive 1 of the 2 drugs. The mean time to defervescence (+/- standard deviation) was 46.2+/-36.4 h in the clarithromycin group and 39.3+/-31.3 h in the azithromycin group. These differences were not statistically significant and both drugs were equally well-tolerated. Clarithromyci…
CLINICAL FEATURES AND TREATMENT OF MEDITERRANEAN SPOTTED FEVER IN CHILDREN: A PRACTICAL UPDATE FOR THE CLINICIAN
2004
Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is a tick-borne disease caused by Rickettsia conorii. It is characterized by the symptomatologic triad of fever, exanthema and «tache noire» – the typical eschar at the site of the tick bite. Oral or parenteral administration of tetracyclines or chloramphenicol represent the standard treatment; however, both these drugs may cause significant adverse effects in children. Recent studies indicate that oral clarithromycin and azithromycin may represent an acceptable alternative for the treatment of children with MSF. There are no data to indicate that antimicrobial prophylaxis is beneficial for tick-bitten patients to prevent MSF. However, in the presence of a …