indications
Last reviewed 01/2018
Erythromycin is a well established alternative to penicillins in the treatment of ear, nose and throat infections including:
- bacterial throat infections
- tonsillitis
- otitis media
- sinusitis
Erythromycin is used widely in the treatment of pulmonary infections,including:
- Pneumococcal pneumonia
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia
- Legionnaire's disease
- respiratory chlamydial infection
- prophylaxis in whooping cough
- eradication of Corynebacterium diphtheriae
Other uses for erythromycin include:
- staphylococcal and streptococcal infections of the skin
- intestinal campylobacteriosis
Where local strains of bacteria such as H. influenzae and Mycoplasma are resistant to erythromycin, one of the newer macrolides may be effective.