Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Macrolides

Parth H. Patel  1 , Muhammad F. Hashmi  2
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Book

Macrolides

Parth H. Patel et al.

Excerpt

Macrolides are a class of drugs used to manage and treat various bacterial infections. Azithromycin, clarithromycin, and erythromycin are commonly used to treat infections like pneumonia, sinusitis, pharyngitis, and tonsillitis. They are also used in uncomplicated skin infections and otitis media in pediatric patients. Clarithromycin is used to treat Helicobacter pylori infections in standard triple therapy protocol regardless of clarithromycin resistance status. Macrolides are also commonly used to treat sexually transmitted infections such as gonococcal and chlamydial infections. This activity reviews the mechanism of action, indications, contraindications, and other key factors (e.g., off-label uses, dosing, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, monitoring, relevant interactions) related to macrolides.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Parth Patel declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Muhammad Hashmi declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Klein JO. History of macrolide use in pediatrics. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1997 Apr;16(4):427-31. - PubMed
    1. Parnham MJ, Erakovic Haber V, Giamarellos-Bourboulis EJ, Perletti G, Verleden GM, Vos R. Azithromycin: mechanisms of action and their relevance for clinical applications. Pharmacol Ther. 2014 Aug;143(2):225-45. - PubMed
    1. Yeo YH, Shiu SI, Ho HJ, Zou B, Lin JT, Wu MS, Liou JM, Wu CY, Taiwan Gastrointestinal Disease and Helicobacter Consortium First-line Helicobacter pylori eradication therapies in countries with high and low clarithromycin resistance: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Gut. 2018 Jan;67(1):20-27. - PubMed
    1. Farzam K, Nessel TA, Quick J. StatPearls [Internet] StatPearls Publishing; Treasure Island (FL): 2023. Jul 2, Erythromycin.
    1. Cunha BA. The atypical pneumonias: clinical diagnosis and importance. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2006 May;12 Suppl 3:12-24. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types