Treatment of Scrub Typhus with Macrolide Antibiotic

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of macrolide antibiotics chloramphenicol and deoxycycline on the treatment of scrub typhus.Method 279 cases of scrub typhus,at archipelago in the South China Sea,treated with macrolide antibiotics in the past 8 years were retrospectively analyzed in this study.The patients were treated with chloramphenicol,deoxycycline,erycin,roxithromycin or azithromycin.The pyretolysis time and cure rate were analyzed.Result Pyretolysis time was increased in patients receiving macrolide antibiotics.There were no significant differences in the cure rate in the 5 antibiotics treatment groups.Among macrolide antibiotic,the duration of pyretolysis time was in the order of erycin roxithromycin azithromycin.Conclusion Macrolide antibiotics,such as chloramphenicol and deoxycycline,have good therapeutic effects on scrub typhus.Macrolide antibiotics also have fewer side-effects,and they are suitable for pregnant women,puerperant,and infants with scrub typhus.Azithromycin may be used as a first-line drug.