Smith M A, Ryan M E
Am Fam Physician. 1987 Sep;36(3):185-92.
Ampicillin and chloramphenicol have been used for initial empiric therapy of childhood meningitis since the mid-1970s. Problems associated with these drugs include the possibility of chloramphenicol-associated aplastic anemia and the existence of Hemophilus influenzae type b resistance to both ampicillin and chloramphenicol. Several second- and third-generation cephalosporins have been shown to be as effective as ampicillin and chloramphenicol in the treatment of childhood meningitis.
