Respiratory infections: clinical evaluation

Abstract

A review of clinical studies of piperacillin shows that it is valuable for the treatment of respiratory infections due to Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas sp, anaerobes, and mixed flora including anaerobes. Various studies of a total of 420 patients treated with piperacillin for lower respiratory tract infections found that 97% of the patients were cured or markedly improved. Piperacillin has also been found as effective as combination therapy (gentamicin or tobramycin plus carbenicillin or ticarcillin) in the treatment of serious infections, including pneumonia and several caused by gram-negative organisms and anaerobic organisms. A review of the literature on bacteriological responses to piperacillin shows that 126 of 153 (82%) of the susceptible strains could be eradicated. Streptococcus pneumoniae, beta-hemolytic streptococci, Haemophilus influenzae, Peptostreptococcus sp, Bacteroides sp, and Fusobacterium sp have been completely eradicated by treatment with piperacillin. Most of the published studies indicate that therapy with the drug is usually well tolerated.