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.
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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)
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Chemical References |
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
- Macrolides
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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)
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