Clinical role of cefixime in community-acquired infections.

UNLABELLED Cefixime is an oral third generation cephalosporin, frequently used in respiratory tract infections (RTI) in the pediatric population. However, in some publications cefixime has demonstrated poor efficacy against staphylococci and streptococci. THE AIM of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cefixime in the treatment of community-acquired infections in a country where parenteral third generation cephalosporins have been used for a long time. The present study was designed to assess the clinical efficacy, bacteriological eradication rates and tolerability of cefixime in children with community-acquired upper RTI (URTI), lower RTI (LRTI) and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI). MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was prospective, open, and included 89 patients, from 6 months to 28 years, of both sexes, with the diagnosis of community-acquired URTI, LRTI and UTI. RESULTS The treatment with cefixime was successful in 30/30 (100%) patients suffering from acute otitis media (AOM), in 10/12 (83.3%) with acute sinusitis, in 12/12 patients (100%) with pneumonia, in 31/35 (88.57) with uncomplicated UTI. The antibiotic was well tolerated. In 10 days treatment we recorded one case (1.3%) with acute gastroenteritis and two cases (2.6%) of maculopapular rash. Side-effects were transient and disappeared after finishing therapy in all three of the cases. CONCLUSIONS Community-acquired infections, such as AOM, LRTI and UTI, caused by susceptible pathogens, can be treated with cefixime, as a good choice for a successful clinical response.