Comparison of erythromycin ethylsuccinate and co-trimoxazole for treatment of pertussis.

Fifty-five ambulatory children with early culture-proven pertussis were treated for two weeks either with erythromycin ethylsuccinate (n = 28) (50-80 mg/kg/day in three doses during meals) or with co-trimoxazole (n = 27) (6-10 mg trimethoprim/kg/day in two doses after meals). After completion of treatment, all patients in the erythromycin group were culture-negative, while in the co-trimoxazole group one child was still culture-positive. In this case vomiting may have played a role. Both agents appear to be able to eradicate Bordetella pertussis from the nasopharynx of patients with early whooping cough.