Which class of antibiotics is recommended for treatment of pertussis?

Which class of antibiotics is recommended for treatment of pertussis?

• A. Macrolides
• B. Tetracyclines
• C. Fluoroquinolones
• D. Aminoglycosides

Answer: (A)

Treat pertussis with a macrolide antibiotic because these drugs rapidly inhibit the Bordetella pertussis organism and reduce contagiousness, especially when started in the early phases of illness. The preferred agents are azithromycin, clarithromycin, or erythromycin. Starting therapy early can shorten the contagious period and may lessen severity and duration of symptoms, and it also provides postexposure prophylaxis for close contacts. Other antibiotic classes are not favored: tetracyclines are avoided in young children and during pregnancy because of effects on teeth and fetal development; fluoroquinolones pose risks of cartilage toxicity in children; and aminoglycosides have limited efficacy against pertussis and more toxicity, so they’re not used as first-line treatment.

Treat pertussis with a macrolide antibiotic because these drugs rapidly inhibit the Bordetella pertussis organism and reduce contagiousness, especially when started in the early phases of illness. The preferred agents are azithromycin, clarithromycin, or erythromycin. Starting therapy early can shorten the contagious period and may lessen severity and duration of symptoms, and it also provides postexposure prophylaxis for close contacts. Other antibiotic classes are not favored: tetracyclines are avoided in young children and during pregnancy because of effects on teeth and fetal development; fluoroquinolones pose risks of cartilage toxicity in children; and aminoglycosides have limited efficacy against pertussis and more toxicity, so they’re not used as first-line treatment.