Class: Erythromycins
VA Class: AM200
CAS Number: 114-07-8
Brands: E.E.S., ERYC, EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin, PCE
Introduction
Antibacterial; macrolide antibiotic produced by Saccharopolyspora erythraeus.
Uses for Erythromycin (Systemic)
Acute Otitis Media (AOM)
Treatment of AOM in children caused by susceptible Haemophilus influenzae. The fixed-combination preparation containing erythromycin ethylsuccinate and sulfisoxazole acetyl must be used; erythromycin is not effective when used alone for treatment of H. influenzae infections.
The fixed-combination preparation containing erythromycin ethylsuccinate and sulfisoxazole acetyl is an alternative (not a preferred agent) for treatment of AOM. The drug is recommended as an alternative in patients with type I penicillin hypersensitivity. May not be effective for treatment of AOM that fails to respond to amoxicillin since a high incidence of S. pneumoniae resistant to the fixed-combination drug has been reported.
Pharyngitis and Tonsillitis
Treatment of pharyngitis and tonsillitis caused by S. pyogenes (group A β-hemolytic streptococci). Generally effective in eradicating S. pyogenes from the nasopharynx, but efficacy in prevention of subsequent rheumatic fever has not been established to date.
CDC, AAP, IDSA, AHA, and others recommend oral penicillin V or IM penicillin G benzathine as treatments of choice; oral cephalosporins and oral macrolides considered alternatives. Amoxicillin sometimes used instead of penicillin V, especially for young children.
Erythromycin usually the preferred alternative for treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis in patients hypersensitive to penicillin. Although S. pyogenes resistant to erythromycin and other macrolides have been reported and may be prevalent in some areas of the world (e.g., Japan, Finland), the incidence of these resistant S. pyogenes in the...
