Cefadroxil versus penicillin in the treatment of streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis

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Abstract
In a randomized multicentre study the efficacy of phenoxymethyl-penicillin and cefadroxil was tested in the treatment of acute tonsillopharyngitis caused by group A streptococci. These organisms were detected in 269 of the 300 children studied. Of the 239 patients in whom results could be evaluated, 121 received penicillin and 118 cefadroxil. After ten days of therapy the microbiological failure rate was 19 % in the penicillin group and 6.8 % in the cefadroxil group (p<0.01). Ten of 23 cases of microbiological failure in the penicillin group and two of eight in the cefadroxil group also had clinical symptoms of infection. All streptococcal isolates were sensitive to penicillin, cefadroxil and clindamycin with the exception of one strain with intermediate sensitivity to cefadroxil. Seven strains had intermediate sensitivity to erythromycin and one was resistant. No penicillin tolerance was observed. Patients in whom penicillin therapy failed more frequently had beta-lactamase producing staphylococci in the pharyngeal flora in comparison to successfully treated patients. The clinical and bacteriological results showed that cefadroxil was clearly superior to penicillin.