- Broad coverage, including anaerobic
- Side effects include aplastic anemia, Gray Baby Syndrome
- Used for meningitis when severe allergy to penicillins including cephalosporins
- Young children and pregnant women who have Rocky Mountain spotted fever (cannot be treated with tetracycline)
Lincosamides (Clindamycin)
- Anaerobic, gram positive and MRSA coverage
- Not useful against gram-negative
- Side effects pseudomembranous colitis (C-diff)
- Used with aminoglycoside (cover gram-neg) in wound infections of the abdomen
- Female genital tract infections
- Septic abortions
- Alternative to metronidazole for bacterial vaginosis
- Used with beta-lactam (penicillin) or vancomycin for toxic shock syndrome with GAS or staph aureus
- Aspiration pneumonia
- Gram-positive, MRSA, VRE
- Expensive
- Side effects Serotonin Syndrome (avoid if on antidepressants)
- Used with beta-lactam to cover hospital acquired pneumonia
Erythromycin, Azithromycin, Clarithromycin, Telithromycin (Ketolide)
- Gram-positive, some gram-negative, atypicals (Legionella, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mycoplasma)
- Use for outpatient community-acquired pneumonia
- Telithromycin efficacy against macrolide resistant Strep pneumo
- Black box warning for respiratory failure in myasthenia gravis
Tetracyclines (Doxycycline)
- Chlamydia trachomatis
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Walking pneumonia)
- Animal/Tick-borne Bruciella and Rickettsia
- Acne
- Side effects: Phototoxic dermatitis
Gentamicin, Tobramycin, Amikacin (good against resistant), Neomycin (topical, as toxic)
- Break down cell walls, used with beta-lactams
- Aerobic gram-neg, Pseudomonas
- Side effects: CN8 toxicity (Hearing loss irreversible), renal toxicity, neuromuscular blockade