Abstract
Due to recent safety concerns regarding fluoroquinolones and the potential medical and economic benefits, we investigated the efficacy of a single intravenous dose of 1.5 g azithromycin for the treatment of pulmonary legionellosis. Using a nationwide legionellosis registry for pre-selection, 74 patients admitted from 2000-2018 to a tertiary care hospital owing to pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila were retrospectively included in this study. Conventional treatment regimens consisting of fluoroquinolones (n=20), macrolides (n=30) or combinations of both (n=24) and a single intravenous dose of azithromycin (n=12) have been demonstrated to be equally effective. Single-dose azithromycin treatment was well tolerated and resulted in a shorter hospital stay (P=0.0464) and shorter antibiotic treatment duration (P=0.0004) allowing earlier discharge. A single intravenous dose of azithromycin might be a valuable treatment alternative for patients with legionellosis.
Published Version
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