Antibiotics side effects

Cunha BA Antibiotic side effects. Med Clin North Am 2001 85 149-185. 

In addition to the desire for immediate symptom improvement, prevention of mastoiditis and meningitis has been suggested as a reason to prescribe immediate antibiotic treatment for acute otitis media. The rates of mastoiditis in the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark (all countries in which delayed therapy has been adopted) and those in Canada, the United States, Austraha, and the United Kingdom were compared. The delay of antibiotic use resulted in an increase from about 2 to 4 cases of mastoiditis per 100,000 children per year, accompanied by about 1600 fewer children per 100,000 experiencing antibiotic side effects. Of note, in the Netherlands, only 1.1% of infections caused by S. pneumoniae are penicUhn-resistant. 

There are quite a number of studies on inhalation treatment of P. carinii pneumonia. They show that pentamidine might be useful for selected patients in addition to oral treatment with antibiotics. Side effects are dependent on aerosol particle size, and the treatment should be targeted toward the alveolar region. 

Although the antibacterial spectmm is similar for many of the sulfas, chemical modifications of the parent molecule have produced compounds with a variety of absorption, metaboHsm, tissue distribution, and excretion characteristics. Administration is typically oral or by injection. When absorbed, they tend to distribute widely in the body, be metabolized by the Hver, and excreted in the urine. Toxic reactions or untoward side effects have been characterized as blood dyscrasias crystal deposition in the kidneys, especially with insufficient urinary output and allergic sensitization. Selection of organisms resistant to the sulfonamides has been observed, but has not been correlated with cross-resistance to other antibiotic families (see Antibacterial AGENTS, synthetic-sulfonamides). 

Macrolides are regarded as among the safest of antibiotics (496). The principal side effects, which ia some cases are sufftciendy severe to require cessation of the drug, are gastroiatestinal. 

As with all drugs, the specific side effects of the quinolones must be considered when they are chosen for treatment of bacterial infections [5]. Reactions of the gastrointestinal tract and the central neivous system are the most often observed adverse effects during therapy with quinolones. It should be underlined, however, that compared with many other antimicrobials, diarrhea is less frequently observed during quinolone treatment. Antibiotic-associated colitis has been observed rarely during quinolone therapy. Similarly, hypersensitivity reactions, as observed during therapy with penicillins and other (3-lactams, is less frequently caused by quinolones. Some other risks of quinolone therapy have been defined and must be considered if a drug from this class is chosen for treatment of bacterial infections. 

Vancomycin is an antibiotic isolated from Strep, orientalis and has an empirical formula of C66H75CI2N9O4 (mol. wt 1448) it has a complex tricyclic glycopeptide structure. Modern chromatographically purified vancomycin gives rise to fewer side-effects than the antibiotic produced in the 1950s. 

The choice of an antibiotic agent for acute bacterial conjunctivitis is largely empiric. The initial treatment needs to include Staphylococcus coverage, but also may be chosen on the basis of cost and side-effect profile.13,14 In general, ointments are a good dosage form for children. Adults prefer drops because they do not interfere with vision.14... 

The objective of antibiotic treatments is to reduce the density of microbial pathogen in infected udder tissues and thereby improve the capacity of the animal s immune system to deal with the infection. The effect of a successful antibiotic treatment is therefore self-cure of mastitis (Hamann and Kromker, 1999). However, some antibiotics (e.g. tetracycline and gentamycine) may also have negative side effects on the animal s immune response to udder infection, as they have been shown to inhibit/reduce phagocytosis of the animal s own defence cells (Nickerson et al 1986). 

With the increasing appearance of antibiotic-resistant infections, the side effects of antibiotics and superinfection as a consequence of the disturbance of the intestinal microflora, the immediate decision to use antibiotics... 

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