The efficacy of high-dose penicillin for community-acquired pneumonia diagnosed by pneumococcal urine antigen test.

Oka H, Ueda A, Watanuki Y, Tsukiji J, Kuroda H, Akashi S, Hirai Y, Fuyuki T, Kaneko T, Ishigatsubo Y.

Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan. hide-oka0214@kkh.biglobe.ne.jp

We analyzed the efficacy of both the Streptococcus pneumoniae urine antigen test as a quick diagnostic tool and the administration of high-dose penicillin in response to a positive S. pneumoniae urine antigen test. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 48 cases of pneumococcal pneumonia, in which the patients were treated with high-dose penicillin. All the cases were diagnosed by a positive urine antigen test. Treatment with high-dose penicillin was effective in 43 of the 48 patients. This treatment was also effective in 12 of 16 culture-confirmed cases with low susceptibility to penicillin. Eleven patients who were positive for the S. pneumoniae urine antigen test but culture-negative showed clinical improvement with high-dose penicillin. Pneumonia caused by S. pneumoniae appeared to be treated safely and effectively with high-dose penicillin based on positive results of the urine antigen test, as penicillin resistance was unlikely to be a problem.

PMID: 19396521 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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