Consensus on Antibiotics Application II. Macrolide Antibiotics

Overview

The Antibiotics Policy Working Group of the Presidium of the J. E. Purkyně Czech MedicalAssociation (CLS JEP) herewith presents continued information on rational antibiotics treatment(Consensus on Antibiotics Application II. Macrolides and Azalides). Just as the alreadypublished part (Consensus on Antibiotics Application I. Penicillin Antibiotics) the chapter onmacrolides includes recent information on that group of antibiotics. Information prepared asconsensus and examined extremely by members of the Czech Medical Association is based onthe Summary of Product Characteristics which they supplement with a detailed description ofsituations in which the given antibiotic is of first choice and when it serves as an alternative inview of specific conditions from the point of view of the risk for the patient and of antibioticresistance. The objective is to attain a decrease in the epidemiological risk of appearance of andincrease in resistance which always looms when antibiotics are applied incorrectly. Therefore,the basis for an indication is an exact finding of the etiology of any given affection and theapplication of new pieces of knowledge on the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic parametersof antibiotics and on the risk of resistance. Directions for obtaining valid information onthe etiology of respiratory infections have been presented as the CLS JEP RecommendedProcedure for Treatment of Respiratory Infections (Praktický lékař, 9/2003) in which the choiceof antibiotics also reflects the present epidemiological situation concerning resistance in ourcountry. The Consensus on Antibiotics Application and the CLS JEP Recommended Proceduresare presented on the web pages of the Association (www.cls.cz).

Key words:
macrolide antibiotics - indication - treatment.