Arch Dis Child: first published as 10.1136/adc.61.10.1027 on 1 October 1986. Downloaded from Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1986, 61, 1027-1029 Erythromycin versus tetracycline for treatment of Mediterranean spotted fever T MUNOZ-ESPIN, P LOPEZ-PARtS, E ESPEJO-ARENAS, B FONT-CREUS, I MARTINEZ- VILA, J TRAVERIA-CASANOVA, F SEGURA-PORTA, AND F BELLA-CUETO Hospital de Sant Llatzer, Terrassa, Clinica Infantil del Nen Jesus, Sabadell, and Hospital Mare de Deu de la Salut, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain SUMMARY Eighty one children aged between 1 and 13 years participated in a randomised comparative trial of tetracycline hydrochloride and erythromycin stearate for treatment of Mediterranean spotted fever. Both therapeutic regimens proved effective, but in patients treated with tetracycline both clinical symptoms and fever disappeared significantly more quickly. Likewise, when those patients who began treatment within the first 72 hours of illness are considered the febrile period had a significantly shorter duration in the group treated with tetracycline. One patient was switched to tetracycline because there was no improvement of clinical manifestations, with persistence of fever, myalgias, and prostration, after receiving eight days of treatment with erythromycin. These results suggest that tetracyclines are superior to erythromycin in the treatment of Mediterranean spotted fever. copyright. Mediterranean spotted fever is an acute infectious were not included in the trial; neither were those disease caused by Rickettsia conorii. During the last with a history of allergy to tetracyclines and few years there has been a resurgence of this disease erythromycin. in Mediterranean countries.' Likewise, acquired The diagnostic criteria of Mediterranean spotted sporadic cases have recently been reported in fever were as follows: presence of typical clinical northern Europe2 3 and the United States.4 Treat- manifestations plus tache noire and/or a positive ment with tetracyclines or chloramphenicol is effec- serologic result by means of indirect immuno- http://adc.bmj.com/ tive, but tetracyclines can cause undesirable side fluorescence against R. conorii (a fourfold increase effects, especially in children under the age of 8 in the titre of acute serum over convalescent serum years, and with chloramphenicol there is a risk of or a titre over 1:40 in those few cases in whom only bone marrow toxicity. one test was possible). Some cell culture studies have shown that Eighty one children fulfilled the conditions for erythromycin is an effective in vitro agent against inclusion in the study; 12 who did not were various species of rickettsieae.5 6 We undertook a excluded. Patients were treated at random with on September 25, 2021 by guest. Protected randomised clinical trial comparing tetracycline either erythromycin stearate or tetracycline hyd- hydrochloride with erythromycin stearate to see if rochloride according to a set of computer generated erythromycin could constitute a useful and less toxic aleatory numbers. Over a period of 10 days patients therapeutic alternative in children with Mediterra- received daily doses of either erythromycin 50 mg/kg nean spotted fever. (12-5 mg/kg four times a day) or tetracycline 40 mg/kg (10 mg/kg four times a day). Temperature Patients and methods was taken at least every six hours by nursing personnel not related to the study, and symptoms We included in the study all children diagnosed as were evaluated daily until disappearance. having Mediterranean spotted fever and admitted On admission the following laboratory studies during 1983 and 1984 to the Hospital de Sant were carried out: haemogram, erythrocyte sedi- Llatzer, Terrassa, and Clinica Infantil del Nen mentation rate, urea, creatinine, total bilirubin, and Jesus, Sabadell (Spain). Eight patients, who in the electrolyte concentrations, serum glutamic pyruvic week preceding the study had received antibiotics, transanimase, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transani- 1027 Arch Dis Child: first published as 10.1136/adc.61.10.1027 on 1 October 1986. Downloaded from 1028 Munioz-Espin, Lopez-Pares, Espejo-Arenas, Font-Creus, Martinez-Vila, Traverfa-Casanova, et al mase, alkaline phosphatase, creatine kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase activities, prothrombin time, total protein and protein electrophoresis, urinalysis, Weil-Felix reaction, indirect immunofluorescence against R. conorii, and blood cultures. Electrocar- diograms and chest x ray films were also obtained. At the end of three weeks a clinical revision and new serological, haematological, and biochemical deter- minations were made. Apyrexia was defined as a temperature of less than 37°C taken in the armpit. Student's t test was used for statistical analysis. Results 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Of the 81 patients studied, 50 were boys and 31 girls. Day of treatment Ages ranged between 1 and 13 years. Thirty four Figure Accumulated percentage ofafebrilepatients on patients received tetracycline hydrochloride and 46 successive days after the beginning oftreatment with erythromycin. One patient began treatment with tetracycline hydrochloride (solid line) or erythromycin erythromycin but was later switched to tetracycline. stearate (broken line). This 7 year old boy presented with fever, headache, and myalgias of 24 hours' duration. On physical examination a tache noire was noticed on the scalp between first occurrence of symptoms and beginning accompanied by enlarged lymph nodes and maculo- of treatment was somewhat longer in the group papular rash affecting the palms of the hands and treated with tetracycline (4.3 (1-8) days) than in the the soles of the feet. There was no improvement of group treated with erythromycin (3.5 (1-7) days); clinical manifestations, with persistence of high this difference was significant (p<005). copyright. fever (39-40'C), headache, myalgias, and prostra- All patients recovered uneventfully. After the tion on the eighth day of treatment with erythromy- beginning of treatment fever and clinical symptoms cin. After two days of treatment with tetracycline disappeared significantly more quickly in the group fever subsided and clinical symptoms markedly treated with tetracycline (Table). Also the total improved. As the patient had not completed the duration of fever in this group was shorter, although prescribed 10 day course of antibiotic regimen this the difference was not significant. When only the 38 case was not evaluated in the results, and we think patients who began treatment within the first three days of illness were considered the total duration of that this must be considered as an example of http://adc.bmj.com/ erythromycin proving ineffective. fever was significantly shorter (p<0-01) in the 14 Mean (SD) ages of the patients were similar in patients treated with tetracycline (5.0 (0.8) days) both groups (6-9 (2-2) years in the group treated than in the 24 patients treated with erythromycin with tetracycline v 5-9 (2.6) years in the group (6-3 (1-7) days). The Figure shows the accumulated treated with erythromycin). Maximal temperatures percentage of afebrile patients in each group on recorded on admission were also similar (39-6 successive days after the beginning of treatment. No (0.6)°C v 39.5 (0-7)°C, respectively). The interval relapses were observed. One patient had side effects (diarrhoea), which may be attributed to erythromy- on September 25, 2021 by guest. Protected cin, but in this single case suspension of the trial was not necessary. Table Results ofa therapeutic trial, tetracycline v erythromycin, in children with Mediterranean spottedfever. Discussion Values are mean (SD) Mediterranean spotted fever is a benign disease,7 8 Treatment group p Value fatalities from which are rare (mortality of Tetracycline Erythromycin 0-2%).9 10On the other hand, clinical manifestations n= 34 46 are usually severe, with intense malaise. The natural Apyrexia after duration of Mediterranean spotted fever is from 10 treatment (days) 2-2 (1-0) 3-5 (1-5) <0 0005 Disappearance of to 15 days.11 Treatment with tetracyclines or chlor- symptoms (days) 2-4 (1-0) 3-4 (1-4) <0-0005 amphenicol shortens this symptomatic period and Duration of febrile avoids possible serious complications. The risk of period (days) 6 5 (2-1) 7.0 (1-6) NS bone marrow toxicity is an argument against the use Arch Dis Child: first published as 10.1136/adc.61.10.1027 on 1 October 1986. Downloaded from Erythromycin versus tetracycline for treatment of Mediterranean spotted fever 1029 of chloramphenicol in such a generally benign References disease. Untoward effects of the tetracyclines in Segura F, Font B. Resurgence of Mediterranean spotted fever. children aged under 8 include staining of the teeth, Lancet 1982;ii:280. of bone growth, and hypo- 2 Lambert M, Dugernier T, Bigaignon G, Rahier J, Piot P. temporary retardation Mediterranean spotted fever in Belgium. Lancet 1984;ii:1038. plastic enamel.12 For this reason the use of tetracy- 3 Staszewski S, Helm B, Stille W. Autochthonic Mediterranean cline antibiotics in children has been restricted, spotted fever in West Germany. Lancet 1984;ii:1466. except in some diseases, such as rickettsiosis, 4 Schlaeffer F, Lederer K, Mates SM. Mediterranean spotted brucellosis, and psittacosis.13 In fact, staining of the fever in an American woman. Arch Intern Med 1985;145: 1733-4. teeth is related to the accumulative doses adminis- 5 Wisseman CL, Waddell AD, Walsh WT. In vitro studies of the tered during childhood.'4 Thus it is more important action of antibiotics on Rickettsia prowazeki by two basic to suspend the use of tetracyclines in daily paediatric methods of cell culture. J Infect Dis 1974;130:564-74. than to avoid administration of a single 6 Spicer AJ, Peacock MG, Williams JC. Effectiveness of several practice antiobiotics in suppressing chick embryo lethality during ex- course of the drug. perimental infections by Coxiella burnetti, Rickettsia typhi and This study shows that tetracycline hydrochloride R. rickettsii. In: Burgdorfer W, Anacker RL, eds. Rickettsiae is superior to erythromycin stearate in the treatment and rickettsial diseases.