Macrolides and community-acquired pneumonia: is quorum sensing the key?

Abstract

Combination therapy with two antimicrobial agents is superior to monotherapy in severe community-acquired pneumonia, and recent data suggest that addition of a macrolide as the second antibiotic might be superior to other combinations. This observation requires confirmation in a randomised control trial, but this group of antibiotics have pleiotropic effects that extend beyond bacterial killing. Macrolides inhibit bacterial cell-to-cell communication or quorum sensing, which not only might be an important mechanism of action for these drugs in severe infections but may also provide a novel target for the development of new anti-infective drugs.

• Authors: Matt P Wise, David W Williams, Michael A O Lewis, Paul J Frost
• Journal: Critical care (London, England) (Crit Care) Vol. 14 Issue 4 Pg. 181 ( 2010) ISSN: 1466-609X [Electronic] England
• PMID: 20663182 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Macrolides

Topics

• Anti-Bacterial Agents (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Community-Acquired Infections (drug therapy, microbiology)
• Drug Therapy, Combination
• Humans
• Macrolides (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Pneumonia, Bacterial (drug therapy, microbiology)
• Quorum Sensing (drug effects)