[Critical analysis of antibiotic therapy of acute respiratory infections caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae].

Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the most frequently proved causative agent of pneumonia in patients hospitalized in our hospital. During the 6-year period (1980-1985), Mycoplasma pneumoniae was diagnosed in 390 patients with acute respiratory infections. Out of them 315 had pneumonia, and 75 had acute bronchitis with febrility. Pneumonia of older children and of younger adults was caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae mostly. Most of our patients (60.77%) were treated by inadequate antibiotic therapy. In 176 (45.13%) the therapy with mostly inappropriate antibiotic started before hospitalization. This was the main reason why 165 patients (42.31%) were given two or more antibiotics. Only 126 patients (32.31%) were treated rationally with one antibiotic from the group of tetracyclines or macrolides. Doxycycline was the most effective drug, and erythromycin and midecamycin showed the very good result as well. The difference among these three antibiotics was not statistically significant (x2 = 3.188; p greater than 0.05). However, this difference was statistically very significant in relation to penicillin (x2 = 28.082; p less than 0.001). Penicillin was given to 62 patients (15.90%).