RESUMO
Forty three patients of both sexes were enrolled in this study. They were 28 males and 15 females. Their ages ranged between 18 and 63 years with a mean age of 39.7 years. They suffered from different acute lower respiratory tract infections including acute bronchitis, acute tracheobronchitis, pneumonia and bronchiectasis. They were given azithromycin 500 mg [2 capsules X 250 mg] orally as a single daily dose for 3 successive days. There was complete cure of 39 patients [90.69 percent], improvement in 3 patients [6.97 percent] and failure in one patient [2.33 percent]. Bacteriological evaluation showed that the causative organisms were, streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae and staphylococcus aureus. Causative organisms were eradicated in 42 patients [97.67 percent] and persistence occured in one patient [2.33 percent]. Adverse events were reported in 5 cases [11.62 percent] and were mild and tolerated by the patients. They included loose stools in 3 patients, gastric upset in one patient and nausea in one patient. Therapy did not induce any significant changes in the mean values of blood count, liver and renal function tests. The study showed that azithromycin is an effective, safe and well tolerated therapy for adult patients suffering from acute lower respiratory tract infections