This article reviews some of the more recent developments relating to the clinical usage of
erythromycin. The bactericidal and tissue-penetrating properties of this
antibiotic are described and the suggestion that
erythromycin has a very useful spectrum of activity in
respiratory tract infections is supported by a variety of studies. We examine the increasing application of
erythromycin in an extending number of problems such as sexually acquired disorders, a variety of diseases produced by
infection with Legionella species and the
enteritides associted with Campylobacter and Shigella species. The influence of
erythromycin in particular, and of
antimicrobial agents in general, on the immune system of the host is discussed. The immunomodulatory capacity of the
antibiotics used deserves more attention. The interactions of
erythromycin with theophylines and with
carbamazepine are noted and amplified, and the consequences of the binding of
erythromycin to plasma alpha 1-glycoprotein are examined. After some 3 decades of use, this remarkably safe
antibiotic continues to display activities which deserve the attention of the clinician.